


Warming Oils

by IVleafTea



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Adult Frisk, Ambassador Frisk, Asriel has anger and trust issues, Asriel has residual tendencies from Flowie, Everyone needs a Papyrus in thier life, F/M, Female Frisk, Freeform, Hate Crimes, Hurt/Comfort, Light BDSM, Monster Heat, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Overprotective Sans, Polyamory, Smut, plot with amature porn, porn that tries to be plot-ish, shades of nymphomania, snuggles
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-25
Updated: 2017-09-29
Packaged: 2018-06-04 09:47:59
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 32
Words: 77,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6652981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IVleafTea/pseuds/IVleafTea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Papyrus is injured while preforming duties as an unofficial royal guard. Ambassador Frisk volunteers to help him apply a healing oil to his damaged bones, but it seems the oil has some unexpected side effects. Will Papyrus be able to resist the ambassador while under the influence of his heat? ..... well, not for very long. </p><p>However, as the two grow closer it becomes apparent that the life of this polyamorous ambassador is very complicated and though she bends over backwards (not always in the fun way) to protect the monsters she has come to care for, secrets from her past have come back to haunt her and threaten to undo all the good she has tried to create. It is good then, that she has the help of such a cool guy on her side... a few cool guys actually.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Watch out for Crazy

**Author's Note:**

> This is the chapter of set up. Nothing saucy here ^_^.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the sinful bits see  
> The end of chapter 2  
> The end of chapter 4  
> All of chapter 7 (this one is my favorite so far ^-~)  
> The beginning of chapter 10  
> All of chapter 12  
> Teasing in chapters 16 and 19  
> All of chapter 20  
> The beginning of chapter 24  
> All of chapter 31
> 
> There will be more and I’ll do my best to remember to write where they are here.

Sans answered his phone on the second ring, smiling that he’d been able to acquire such an excellent ring tone for his brother’s calls, which was actually just a recording of Papyrus yelling angrily after hearing one of his particularly awful puns.

“Hey bro, what’s up?” the robust skeleton asked, reclining at his work desk in the lab.

“Hello Sans, I-“ Papyrus stopped mid-sentence and Sans could hear the faint sound of someone speaking urgently in the background. “I’ll tell him. Just-“

“Tell me what?” Sans asked, idly twirling a pencil between his phalanges.

“Tell you that I’m alright,” Papyrus said sounding a shade annoyed and two shades nervous.

“Of course you are. Why wouldn’t you-“ Sans stopped playing with the pencil and stood abruptly, knocking over his chair in his sudden panic. “Why wouldn’t you be okay?”

“Well, as the only member of the unofficial royal guard, it’s my duty to protect the royal family, and this very angry human man, well he wasn’t well. He kept yelling something about satin or he thought King Asgore was someone named Stan, I’m not really sure. But he was very angry and he had a bat-“

“Papyrus, where are you right now?” Sans demanded, the pencil in his grip snapping in two.

“I’m at the Mt. Ebott memorial hospital. But Sans, really I’m-“

“What room?”

“308. Sans, really I-“

For a moment the light was sucked out of the hospital room and in the next moment Sans was standing there, flipping his phone back into his pocket.

A kind of horrified rage passed over Sans’s face when he saw his brother sitting on the edge of a hospital bed, a spider web of cracks decorating the side of the thin skeleton’s skull.

“I-it’s really n-n-not as bad as it looks,” Alphys said, fidgeting nervously.

“Who did this? I’ll kill ‘em!” Sans growled icily.

“You’ll do nothing of the sort!” Toriel chided.

Sans blinked and suddenly became aware that Asgore, Toriel, Alphys and Frisk were also in the room occupied by his brother. When had that happened?

“The damage is really all cosmetic,” Alphys said carefully, as though worried of Sans’s reaction. 

“That sure as hell doesn’t look cosmetic!” Sans growled inspecting the cracks.

“Sans, language!” Papyrus chided.

“Sorry bro, I’m just…” Sans sighed and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his lab coat, “I just hate to see you hurt.”

“Sans, really, you should have seen it,” Frisk began. “Papyrus was amazing. Before Asgore had time to release a spell, Papyrus leapt into action, putting himself between the king and the attacker.” Frisk held Sans’s gaze for a moment and the weary skeleton read between the lines. Pap almost got himself killed acting recklessly and blocking Asgore’s attack, needlessly putting himself in harm’s way.

The position of “Unofficial Royal Guard,” had been created for Pap as a way to get him to stop lamenting over the fact that he hadn’t made it to the guard when they were under the mountain, before they’d been freed. It was just a side project he was supposed to do on his days off at the monster help center. There wasn’t supposed to be any actual fighting involved, just being another friendly monster on team, “We come in peace.” 

“I was particularly amazing, wasn’t I,” Papyrus beamed proudly. “You weren’t so bad yourself, human. I’ll have to remember about that off switch. It seems very useful.”

“Off switch?” Sans asked.

Frisk bit the side of her lip in a poor attempt to hide a smile, “Yeah, well, on human males, you can kick them really hard between the legs and they vomit and turn off for a while.”

Alphys snorted a choked laugh and Asgore looked a bit ill.

Frisk’s phone rang. She pulled out the black rectangle and hit ignore. Grumbling she said, “You know what, silence you!” She decisively hit a few keys and put her phone away. “Okay, sorry, should have done that in the first place. Anyway, Alphys, you were saying something about an oil that Papyrus needs to use.”

“Oh yes,” she said happily. “It’s a-a-actually my own creation.” She cantered to a low cupboard and retrieved a small white ceramic jar. “Originally, I made this for Clementine when she b-broke some of her back spikes while mountain climbing. It was quite a p-puzzle for me at the time because at first I thought they were made of keratin like hair and claws, but no, t-t-turns out they’re bone. But that works out well for us because now I know what to use on you.” She carefully opened the jar revealing an orange smelling honey colored oil inside. “So you’re going to have to massage about a t-t-teaspoon of this into your entire skull for about a half an hour twice a day – once in the morning and once before bed. I’d r-recommend getting into your neck vertebra as well, just in case there’s any residual w-weakening of the calcium there. This will help the bone heal and prevent any permanent cracks from forming.”

Papyrus tried to scoop some of the oil onto his fingers but not much could be held upon the thin smooth bones. With what little he did manage to get, he tried to apply it to his forehead but the ensuing scraping noise made everyone flinch.

“Well, I’ll just put it on a towel first,” Papyrus said cheerfully.

“Um… I’d r-rather you didn’t. You’ll lose a lot of the oil in the fabric and this is v-very hard to make. I’ll start gathering the ingredients for a new batch immediately, but it’ll t-t-take months before it’s ready,” Alphys frowned, pondering.

“I’ll do it,” Frisk said volunteering with a smile. “Just show me what to do.”

“Are you sure, human,” Papyrus asked. “It wouldn’t be an inconvenience for you?”

She waved his worry off, “Your house is on the way to the embassy anyway. It’ll be easy to stop off before and after work. Besides, who wouldn’t be happy to help the Great Papyrus in his time of need.”

“Well spoken human,” Papyrus said sounding very pleased. “Then you may have the honor of aiding me.”

Toriel hid a snicker behind her paw at Pap’s pomp and import. Asgore just shook his head. 

Sans watched carefully as Alphys instructed Frisk on the proper manner with which the oil should be used. It seemed pretty basic, if not somewhat tedious and invasive, but that couldn’t be helped he supposed.

After about five minutes, Toriel and Asgore bowed out, saying they wished to make sure that the human hooligan with the bat was properly incarcerated and promising to check in on Papyrus later.

Five minutes after they left, Frisk cleared her throat, “So, Alphys, I know you said that the injury Papyrus sustained was superficial, but don’t you think, just to be safe, he should take some time off from work?”

“Oh… um…” Alphys blinked at Frisk’s very pointed stair, “Y…yeah. That’s a good idea. Papyrus, I’d recommend you t-t-take at least one-“

Sans coughed and surreptitiously held up two fingers out of Pap’s line of sight.

“I mean two… um… d-“

Frisk and Sans both shook their heads.

“Weeks?” Alphys sounded very unsure.

Frisk nodded and Sans gave a thumbs up. Pap made to look behind him to see what Alphys was looking at but Frisk tutted him and told him to hold still so she could concentrate. 

“Yes two weeks rest, doctor’s orders,” Alphys said with a smile.

“Two weeks,” Papyrus lamented. “But my job at the help center, and I’m the only royal guard there is right now. It’s obvious that they need me now more than ever.”

“Don’t worry Papyrus,” Frisk said. “I’ll make sure a good temp is hired for you at the help center and I’m sure some of the old guards wouldn’t be too put out to dawn their armor again.” Frisk sighed, a sound made heavy with forged regret, “It won’t be as good as having you, but we’ll make do until you’re healed.”

Sans was sure that in the time Pap took healing, Frisk would conveniently find a permanent guard for the king and queen of the monsters and that Pap would suddenly find himself swamped with monsters that simply could not live without Pap’s personal assistance at the help center. Frisk was always good about making sure his brother was kept in high spirits. She was a real friend like that. 

“Well,” Pap sighed theatrically, “If it cannot be helped then I suppose you’ll just have to settle on the substandard for a while.”

“Good choice bro,” Sans said. “You can use the time to rest your bones.”

Pap groaned agitatedly at the poor excuse for a joke and Sans just shrugged. It really wasn’t his A game.

Alphys pointed out a few places where she felt it important that Frisk not miss – between the vertebra, around the external occipital protuberance, etc. – and Pap and Frisk hashed out exactly what time she’d come over to apply the oils. When the half hour was over, Alphys packed up the oil in a sturdy Styrofoam box before tentatively handing it to Papyrus.

“Be very careful with this, okay,” She said eyeing him nervously.

“Of course!” Papyrus exclaimed. “You needn’t worry yourself Dr. Alphys. Your medication is in very capable hands.”

Static crackled over the hospital’s intercom before a much put out female voice said, “Frisk Dreemurr. Frisk Dreemurr, your presence is requested in the main lobby.” The message repeated twice.

“Arg!” Frisk grumbled wiping the remnants of the oil residue on a moist towel that Alphys provided. “Are you kidding me? Who tracked me down at a hospital and thought it would be a good idea to page me?”

“Human,” Papyrus began tentatively. “Are you sure you’ll have the time to stop everything twice a day to come and help me. Your duties as an ambassador for the monster kingdom keeps you so busy-“

“Ech- don’t you even start with me,” Frisk said holding up her hand. “I said I’d do it, so I’m doing it. Besides, it’ll be a good excuse to see you guys more often. I miss my skel-bros.”

Pap smiled happily, “Well, if you are sure.”

“Absolutely.” For a moment it seemed like there was something more she wanted to say, but the intercom went off again requesting her presence.

“Alright, fine! I’m coming!” Frisk barked at the intercom. She smiled at Pap, “See you tomorrow morning, okay?”

Pap nodded as Frisk dashed out the door. 

Sans took Pap home and made sure he was comfortable before settling in himself, never one to pass up a chance to call off work early. Really, what could he do? His brother needed him.


	2. It’s different at home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for sexual fantasy sequence, masturbation, monster heat, ecto sex organs, hints of a genocide run, and a really terrible math joke.
> 
>  
> 
> Wow, I reeeeeeeally need to practice writing smut. I can't believe I still get embarrassed by this stuff. I'm hoping that once I get used to writing this I wont be so hesitant about it. Practice, practice, practice. Constructive criticism would be most appreciated ^_^

The next morning Sans woke to the dulcet tones of Queen’s “Flash” – which is to say, on hearing the first ear splitting cords of the song, he screamed and fell out of bed. Downstairs he found Frisk carefully applying the medicinal oils to Papyrus’s skull while they watched "Flash Gordon" on the television.

“See, human, I told you Sans would be awake by now,” Pap said as the bleary eyed skeleton emerged from his room. “And you doubted me. Nyeh heh heh!”

Frisk snickered, “My mistake. Morning Sans.”

Sans waved a hand in the general direction of the obnoxiously awake and vivacious voices, and went to turn on the coffee pot only to find a pot had already been made. He poured himself a cup and sat at the kitchen table, willing the caffeine to do its work.

About fifteen minutes in, Sans felt the life returning to him, the heavy pull of sleep finally loosening it’s claws. The morning paper was already on the table for him and his ever present smile seemed to bounce as he took it up, pleased that there was one less thing for him to do.

……………………………………………

Papyrus found watching the film became more and more problematic as the minutes ticked away. The sensation of Frisk’s hands dutifully massaging the medicinal oil into his skull became nearly intoxicating. Maybe it was the oil working to heal him, maybe Frisk was just an excellent deep calcium massage artist -- but, whatever the reason, Papyrus didn’t realize what the massage therapy was doing to him until it was too late.

“Papyrus, you’re starting to feel awfully warm,” Frisk commented sounding only slightly concerned.

Frisk couldn’t see Papyrus’s eye sockets go wide with embarrassment as he made a flustered noise, his thoughts completely stalled for explanation.

“So Frisk,” Sans said, turning the page of his newspaper. “Are you saying you think my brother’s hot?”

“SANS!” Pap barked.

Frisk chuckled huskily, “Oh, he knows I’ve always thought that.”

A knot the size of a grapefruit seemed to materialize in Pap’s throat, rendering him mute. 

“That strong jaw, that noble brow,” she caressed the medicinal oil along the places she spoke of. “I mean really, who could resist?”

She placed the flat of her hand on Pap’s forehead, “But in all seriousness, you might be running a fever. I don’t think it could be just the oils. This didn’t happen when I applied them back at the hospital. Maybe I should call Alphys-“

“Nah, it’s nothing,” Sans said scratching at his chin. “Monster bodies tend to warm up when the magic in them is being reallocated. You didn’t know that? The oil’s probably just working better since he’s able to relax at home.”

“Oh,” Frisk said continuing the massage. “Well why didn’t you say so, Papyrus? You’re being awfully taciturn. It’s not like you.”

Papyrus willed himself to speak, to say something normal. No words would come.

“Don’t mind him, he’s probably just embarrassed.” Sans looked at his brother pointedly over the top of his newspaper, “Even though it’s a perfectly natural body function for an able bodied young man.”

“SANS!” Pap managed to shout, mortified by his brother’s not so vailed comment.

Sans only laughed.

Frisk looked bewilderedly between the two skeletons, “Did I miss a pun?”

“Don’t worry about it kid,” Sans chuckled and went back to his paper.

The rest of the morning was uneventful. Frisk washed her hands of the last residue of the medicinal oil and jawed with Sans a while about the latest concern in the ongoing Monster rights movement while Papyrus finished watching the rest of the movie. 

The attack on the king had actually gained a lot of sympathy from the general public and Papyrus throwing himself in harm’s way without using any violence himself was doing wonders in PR. Unfortunately, the mad man’s musings that Asgore was actually the devil was insanely gaining some traction. People were actually beginning to question if Asgore and the Monsters were actually the demons their religious tomes had warned of.

“I mean, really, what in the world must these numbskulls be smoking?” Frisk grumbled. “I know Asgore’s old, but B.C. old? Come on, they’re insane!”

Sans looked away from Frisk and drank his coffee nervously.

Frisk’s eyes widened, “No, that can’t be true. No way someone that goofy could have lived hundreds of thousands of years.”

Sans shrugged, “We’ve all got our coping devices. He chose being a fluffle butt. There are worse ways to cruse eternity.”

“Goodness,” Frisk said, dumbfounded.

“If it’s any consolation, I’m pretty sure most of the stuff about him in those books was just propaganda for the war. Made it easier for humans to kill monsters if they thought we were evil.”

“Geez… how long were you all stuck under the mountain anyway?”

Sans wobbled his head indecisively, “Eh, hard to say. The days kind of blended together. Monsters don’t age unless they’ve got children to feed magic to so we can last kind of forever if we don’t have kids. You know as long as nothing comes along and kills us.”

Frisk attempted to hide a flinch by running a hand through her thick brown hair, “I… I kind of wish I didn’t know that. I’m going to get questions about it and I really hate to lie.”

“So don’t lie,” Sans said with his signature lazy smile. “The people who penned those books may have had Asgore in mind when they wrote about devils, but that aint Asgore. It was just one group of people trying to justify the murder of another group so they could sleep at night with blood on their hands. That’s just what humans do, isn’t it? Manipulate reality to sate their own desires.”

Frisk shifted uneasily, a wave of nausea stealing her strength. “Well, now I’m depressed and I’ve got to get to work.”

Sans sighed, his ever present grin thinning at one end making it appear a little lopsided, “Hey, kid, knock knock.”

“Who’s there?” Frisk replied gamely.

“The square root of two.”

“The square root of two who?”

“Don’t listen to me, I’m irrational!”

Frisk barked with laughter and picked up her work satchel from the end of the kitchen table, “Thanks.”

“Knock ‘um dead kid,” Sans winked and chuckled.

“See you this afternoon, Papyrus,” Frisk called as she headed out the door.

Papyrus waved from the couch, watching her wistfully walk out the door. He stared at the door a while, knowing Sans was watching him and refused to meet the shorter skeleton’s eye sockets. 

“Soooooo,” Sans began.

“I do not wish to speak on the matter,” Papyrus yelled, still watching the door.

“Oh no?”

“No!” he growled, closing his teeth with an audible clack.

Sans rolled his shoulders trying to stretch out the stiffness in them. “Well, anyways, I’ve got to get going myself.” He threw a white lab coat over his usual hoodie, though this hoodie was a dark teal instead of his usual blue. The overall affect made him seem more robust than usual, but he wasn’t bothered by it. “I’ll be working late tonight so don’t wait up for me.”

The light was sucked out of the area around Sans for a moment and then he was gone. 

……………………………………………

Papyrus decided to try to make the most of his injury leave from work. First he cleaned the house, then he sat down and read his favorite book, then did some simple exercises, then some more complex exercises… then he found himself going stark raving mad with boredom. 

He flopped down upon the couch and kicked off his shoes. Grumbling he tugged at the collar of his orange sweater, finding it oddly confining in his restless state. It seemed far too tight for some reason and with a huff he took the thing off and cucked it into the far corner of the plush couch. 

No, if he was to be honest with himself, he knew why he was so edgy. His eye sockets glared at the Styrofoam box that sat on the mantle. That stupid oil. It was all the oil’s fault that his heat had triggered. Just thinking about it caused a twist of magic to burn down his spine. The slim skeleton did his best to ignore the sensation and simply folded his arms over his chest and redoubled his glare at the inanimate box. He’d never had this much trouble dealing with his baser instincts before, so the only possible explanation was that there was something about that ridiculous oil. 

His teeth clicked together in annoyance. It wasn’t like he was attracted to her. He’d made that very clear to her already so many years ago. Though she had changed a lot since then... and they had gotten to know each other a lot better over the years. Still, it wasn’t as though if suddenly Frisk burst back into the house and confessed her undying passion for him... well, if she did that... he would politely decline, wouldn’t he? He thought of her peering up at him from beneath the copper brown fringe of her bangs, bright blue eyes filled with fire, with hope, with a desire for him. He thought of her hands and how they felt sliding over his skull and imagined what that might feel like on his ribs... down his spine... over the crest of his pelvis. 

“Please,” Frisk murmured, voice already breathy with her own building passion, as she pulled gently at the top of his black slacks.

How could he say no when she was so unwavering and earnest? The slacks came off and he was rewarded with a dazzling smile from the lithe ambassador.

Her nimble hands slid over the smooth bone tracing along the top of his ilium before dipping a millimeter at a time down his pubis, massaging, exploring, savoring. It didn’t take long for the characteristic magic brought up by a monsters heat to start to manifest itself. In his distracted state, he still had enough mental awareness to try to arrange the magic into a facsimile of what he vaguely remembered human male anatomy to be. It wasn’t what he usually created with his magic, but for her -- to make her feel more at ease-- it seemed a simple gesture. 

A bright blush colored her cheeks when the magic had finished setting itself. She looked at him with hungry eyes and asked, “May I?”

God she was cute. He could only nod not feeling like he could trust his voice just then.

She gripped him around the base of his erection and slowly slid her hand up to the tip before caressing the end with her thumb. Fire seemed to burn up his spine at the sensation and a low burbling growl vibrated his ribs. Not a warning, but a reaction to pleasure, like a purr but more heated in response. 

Carefully, deliberately, she began to stroke his tall sex pulling moans and whimpers from the skeleton. Frisk leaned up placing her free hand on his spine to kneed her fingers into the bone. Her lips brushed the lowest of his ribs and licked along the wide flat surface there. 

“Oh god – that feels.... That’s so good... ah,” Papyrus murmured, voice breathy.

Heartened by the compliment, Frisk sped up the pace of the hand upon his cock causing Pap to rock his hips to her rhythm. Magic sang and burned everywhere she touched him and it didn’t take long before he came, a viscus orange magic spilling onto his hand.

The fantasy done, Papyrus blinked up at the ceiling and panted, waiting for his mind to settle into some kind of normalcy. 

So... so sure, maybe he did find her attractive. He guessed denying that now was a little foolish.

Frisk was one of his best friends. They had so much in common (a love of adventure, an inquisitive mind, pasta!) and she was such a strong and fascinating young woman, but the idea of settling down and raising a family with someone like her. No, she was not any kind of maternal figure and besides he wasn’t in the least ready for that. Maybe the problem was, they were too much alike. Folk like them, would they ever really be happy trying to hold up the nuclear family scene? He thought not. Despite that, she had pursued him, possibly been willing to give up that life of adventure if he’d said he shared her feelings. At the time it had been a simple thing to let her down gently. There was far too much to do still and she had only just begun down the path of quests and conquest. But now... no, he still wasn’t ready for the dating scene that had been described to him in his how to books. That just wasn’t the life he wanted. The books made dating seem so regimented, so possessive, so boring. 

It wouldn’t be right to string her along, to get her hopes up before dashing them. In the end, he concluded, he would simply have to take matters into his own hands (he cringed at his unintentional pun) so to speak, and deal with his heat as best he could until the oil treatment was done and Frisk and he could go back to the way things were without her ever knowing his awful sins. 

Papyrus glanced down at where the magic from his heat was slowly fading, disappearing mess and all, and idly hoped he didn’t do anything foolish that might damage the poor girl’s fragile heart. He was the Great Papyrus after all, being rejected by the likes of him for a second time might just undo her for good.


	3. A Friend in Need

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am of the belief that everyone needs a Papyrus in their life. 
> 
> no warnings on this one ^_^

About an hour before Frisk was supposed to come over to apply Pap’s evening dose of medicinal oils, she called him and asked if it would be alright if she used his shower.

“I was working with Greater Dog when Endogeny showed up for a visit and completely slobbered all over me. I hate to run from the embassy to my apartment then all the way back to your place and I thought this might be simpler,” Frisk explained. “If it’s okay with you that is.”

“Well of course you are welcome to use my shower. Anything to help a friend,” Papyrus said beaming.

“Thanks so much. I really appreciate it. I’ll be over in just a bit then.”

Papyrus set a couple of pots to boil -- one for pasta and one for broccoli -- and began to chop up some vegetables for a sauce. It was getting close to dinner time, he thought. He was just being a courteous host, he thought. He was not at all trying to keep himself busy so he wouldn’t be thinking about Frisk taking a shower in his house, no it was the farthest thing from his mind, he reassured himself. After all, he was a gentleman and – 

“Ow!” He’d nicked himself with the knife and he knew it was completely because his sinful mind was distracting him.

There was a knock at the front door and Pap rushed to answer it. He blanched at the sight of the woman who greeted him and she could barely muster a halfhearted hello as she trudged into the house. Half of her hair was sticking straight up and seemed to be covered in some kind of viscus fluid. Her clothing was covered in paw prints and white fur and one of her shews looked like it had been chewed on.

“Oh my god, you look terrible,” Papyrus gawked.

Frisk grunted and adjusted the heavy duffle bag on her shoulder, “Very much hoping a shower will fix some of that.”

“Of course, go right ahead. I’ll have dinner ready by the time you’re done, I’m sure.”

Frisk managed a smile at that. “Thanks Papyrus. You’re the greatest.”

Pap beamed, “Naturally, but thank you for noticing. Nyeh heh heh!”

.....................................

The tall skeleton was just cutting the last of the charcoal off of the garlic bread when frisk emerged from her shower. Her cream colored blouse billowed and clung around her curves in a most pleasing manner and her floral skirt swished playfully around her calves. The gentle clap of her flip flops bizarrely made him want to smile, and he really couldn’t figure out why.

“I feel so much better, thank you,” Frisk said with a contented sigh.

“Think nothing of it,” Papyrus assured her. “Hungry?”

“Starving!” Frisk said and scented the air. “It smells wonderful in here.”

The small brunet took a seat at the modest table Papyrus had prepared and smiled happily when he pushed her chair in.

“This is quite a spread,” she mused, grabbing a piece of garlic bread.

“Nothing less than perfection should ever be expected from the Great Papyrus!” he exclaimed, seating himself.

“Of course,” she said and took a bite of pasta. “This is really good!”

“Nyeh heh heh, thank you human. Your powers of observation are quite accurate.”

“A million times better than the power bar I’d planned to scarf down. Honestly, I can’t remember the last time I sat down for a meal,” she said scooping some more broccoli onto her plate.

“Really? Why is that?”

She shrugged, “Just don’t have the time really. There’s always some fire that needs putting out, some ego that needs stroking, or something. It just never ends.” She chuckled to herself as she picked up her glass of milk, “Really, it’s probably thanks to helping you apply your healing balm that I’m working the hours I’m actually paid to work and am not still at the embassy even now. So thank you for that too.”

Concern took hold of Papyrus’s features, “It is not healthy to work yourself so hard. You must make time to nourish yourself properly and rest or you will become sick and warn out.”

“Don’t I know it,” she sighed. “There just isn’t enough money in the budget to hire the staff we need at the embassy though, so someone’s got to pick up the slack.”

“I thought the sale of magic grown foods was doing well. That it’s the largest growing industry we have.” 

“Absolutely it is, but setting up the farms and organizing the pest control, and convincing the surrounding human farmers that the magic crops aren’t going to hurt their regular crops, and organizing advertisements, and just... it all costs money,” Frisk put her fork down and began to massage her temples. “Really, if I’d had a single brain cell in my head, I would have pushed for commercial magical agriculture the moment you emerged from the mountain. Food that immediately begins to heal most common injuries, who isn’t going to love that? But god, the legislation and precedent that is even now being fought about in court, it’s killing any profit the farms might really have the potential to make. Akg, which reminds me, I’ve got to get a rite of providence form sent to Jerry in legal for the Hurbdurs. Oh hell, did I have Thyme Herbder sign a tax exempt waver yet? I can’t remember. Maybe I should go back to the office after I’m done here.”

Frisk was too busy having a panic attack to notice that Papyrus had gotten up from his seat. Frisk squeaked in surprise when the tall skeleton picked her up and hugged her tightly. It was strange, she thought, that even though she knew he was just bones, his clothing always fit him as though he had the flesh and muscle to fill them. Her head rest against the side of his skull and it was hard and cool as bone should be, but through the plush orange sweater, there was a softness and give that bones alone shouldn’t have allowed for. Magic was a marvelously funny thing sometimes.

“I, the Great Papyrus, have captured you human and you must do as I say,” he rumbled, tightening his grip around her slightly.

“Oh really?” Frisk chuckled.

“Frist of all,” Papyrus began, “you are going to sit and finish your meal. Second, you will relax on the couch with me and we will indulge in one of those Japanese cartoons you like so much. Third and finally, you will not go back to the embassy. You will go home and sleep and in the morning, I will make you breakfast and you will eat every bite of that too.”

Frisk sighed, “Papyrus, there’s just too much to do. I-“

“You are doing a wonderful job as the official ambassador for the monsters, but you are going to burn yourself out if you do not start delegating your work more. Sans is always talking about how his lab is lousy with unpaid interns. Maybe you can find some of them who are interested in the political rigmarole.”

“That... that’s actually a really good idea,” Frisk said sounding a bit dumbfounded.

“Nyeh heh heh, of course it is! The Great Papyrus is a fountain of fantastic advice. And you, human, will heed every bit of it, correct?”

Frisk smiled into his shoulder and nodded, “Yes, I will.” She hugged him tightly, “Thank you Papyrus. I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

“Perish the thought,” he said, setting her back down in her chair. “As long as I am your friend, you will never be without me. Nyeh heh heh!”’


	4. Fair Play and Full Disclosure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: talk of polyamorous relationships, monster heat, ecto tongue, and oral
> 
>  
> 
> P.S. Brownie points to anyone who knows what anime Frisk and Pap are watching ^_^

The rest of the meal went pleasantly enough. Frisk helped Papyrus clean the table and then they settled in to watch an anime about a wandering samurai who refused to kill anyone. It was one of Frisk’s favorites.

Frisk sat on the couch and Papyrus sat on the floor in front of her so she could massage the medicinal oil into his skull while they watched the show.

“That is a very unfair puzzle,” Papyrus groused, watching the wandering samurai dodge flaming arrows and leap over falling logs. “He could very easily be killed by any of those terrible devices.”

“Well, the people the samurai is fighting aren’t nearly as noble as you. All they care about is stopping him at any cost.”

“Classless cretins,” Papyrus grumbled.

Frisk chuckled lightly.

“What is so funny, human? Your hero is gravely injured now thanks to those poorly conceived puzzles. He will probably perish,” Papyrus huffed.

“No, I just thought it was funny that I actually kind of miss your puzzles from back in Snowdin.”

“Really?” Papyrus cleared his throat, “I mean, of course you do. They were brilliant! Nyeh heh heh!”

“Yeah, they were a lot of fun,” she sighed and watched her fingers kneed the medicinal oil into his scalp, “Some of the monsters at the embassy still try to puzzle in the halls, but they’re always either too simple or too dangerous. Anyway, we can’t have puzzling going on at the embassy. Can’t improve human/monster relations if we keep all the humans out.” She slid her fingers around his skull in the pattern of a particular ice skating puzzle she was trying to remember the solution to. “Funny the things that become nostalgic though.”

Papyrus made a “Nyeh” of agreement and continued watching the show while wheels turned quietly in his head.

.......................................................

The show continued, the massage continued, and though Papyrus did his best to keep himself occupied mentally, the sensation of Frisk’s fingers on his scalp was getting to him. A pleasant warmth began to build and made his chest feel tight and slightly labored his breathing. Papyrus could only send a silent thank you to Sans for coming up with an explanation for his heat and one that wasn’t even completely a lie. Now he could just enjoy the feeling without worrying that it might disturb Frisk, who need not be the wiser to-

A burbling guttural noise rumbled his chest. Frisk stopped the massage.

*Oh no, did I just growl?* Papyrus thought in a panic. *Too relaxed, much too relaxed! No, no, no! Now she knows. She knows I’m a pervert and she’ll hate me forever and-*

Frisk shifted slightly in her seat and continued the massage.

His anxiety abated slightly. *Did she not notice?* he thought. *She must not have heard. Maybe the show drowned the sound. Yeah, that must be it. It probably wasn’t nearly as loud as I thought. Yeah.*

The lithe brunet behind him sighed morosely.

“Is something wrong, human?”

“Oh, no, just thinking that I got a great dinner, got to watch an awesome anime, and well... I was just wishing that my actual dates had gone this well.”

Papyrus slouched slightly. “I hadn’t realized you’d been dating someone.”

“I tried dating but, in the end, nothing really panned out. My failure in romance is all my own. I just don’t have the time or energy for it, and honestly being tied to one person seems rather owner-ship-ish. It’s just not my thing I guess.” Frisk pushed the medicinal oil into the base of his skull, working the slick substance into the place where his vertebra met his occipital. Magic coiled low in the skeleton, roiling his senses in a wonderful kind of madness. Papyrus fought against the sensation, trying to focus instead on what Frisk was saying. 

“If I’m to be completely honest,” she continued, “ I’ve had more luck with simply having some close friends who enjoy snatching a bit of fun here and there.” 

She began to carefully massage the oil into each vertebra in his neck. Papyrus couldn’t keep the shiver from running up his spine and barely managed to swallow a second growl. He wondered if it was just his imagination, or if she was moving a bit more languidly than the last time she’d done this. Each movement of her fingers seemed wonderfully precise and almost calculated, as though she’d suddenly discovered where all his buttons were and was carefully pressing each one in turn.

Frisk chuckled quietly, “The sheer diversity of monsters does baffle me occasionally. Each variety expresses their,” she paused searching for the correct phrasing, “more physical inclinations so differently. Sometimes it takes me a while to pick up on all the signals, but eventually I always manage to figure out when a monster is in heat.”

Papyrus felt his throat close, all ability to speak, lost.

Frisk continued, “Some people are put off by my polyamory-ish-ness, so I try to be up front about it. I just don’t see the point in tying myself to one person only, especially with monster/human relationships having zero chances of STDs and zero chance of pregnancy and my friendships providing more emotional support then I’d ever managed to acquire in any purely romantic venture. That being said, I do understand how it might not appeal to everyone. 

I also understand that sometimes a monster’s heat can be triggered by incidental contact even if the monster doesn’t actually wish to indulge in their heat with someone. It happens occasionally to humans too and can be easily overlooked and ignored.” Frisk licked her lips, tensing slightly while desperately trying to seem nonchalant. “But, just in case you might be wondering, if you did want to indulge your heat... if you asked me, I would say yes.”

Papyrus’s head was swimming with this new information. He felt shell shocked. Had that really just happened? Did she really just-

“Hm, looks like the show’s over. Has it really been a half hour already?” She got up and went to go wash her hands of the remaining residue of oil in the kitchen sink.

Frisk was desperate to look anywhere but at Papyrus. Her face was flushed red with embarrassment and she was mentally berating herself as she walked. Hadn’t he already said he wasn’t interested in her? Was she really such a sucker for rejection? Sure it had been years ago, before they’d really gotten to know each other very well, but what the hell made her think his feelings had changed about her? Of course he was going to go into heat being touched like that. It didn’t mean anything though. Just a reaction to physical contact. Goddamn it, and now she just had to go and make it all weird and Papyrus would probably want to find someone else to help him with his medicine. Arg! And after he was being so nice and damn it, damn it, DAMN IT!

Drying her hands on a dish towel, she resolved to try to salvage the situation by saying she’d been joking or apologizing for letting her flirt get out of hand. Maybe the evening didn’t have to be a total disaster.

Frisk turned to find the sweater clad skeleton watching her from the kitchen entryway, a slight orange blush painting his cheekbones. She tried to decipher his expression but found herself unable or unwilling -- which she wasn’t sure.

*I really messed up this time,* she thought, as panic took hold and she decided to run.

“Let me just get my duffle bag and I’ll be on my way,” she said with a wooden smile as she tried to move past the imposing man.

Abruptly, Papyrus grabbed her by the waist and put her up against the wall. She was at eye level with him this way and it seemed very important to him that he look her in the eye for a moment. It seemed that he wanted to say something, his jaw flexing slightly. Frisk felt the fire of a blush on her face, her bright blue eyes wide in shock, but as if under a spell she found herself unable to speak.

Papyrus gently buried his face in her hair, nuzzling into the side of her neck, the heat of his breath on her skin making her chest tight.

“Did you mean it?” he finally managed to ask. “Would it really be okay to... if we just... I mean, you wouldn’t mind?”

Never in her life had she ever seen Papyrus so flustered and at a loss for words. It was the most endearing thing she’d ever heard. 

Gingerly, she wrapped an arm around his torso and draped the other over the wide expanse of his shoulder and back, pulling him closer to her. “I think I’d like it very much if you let me find out what brings you pleasure.” 

A deep resonant sound, like some cross between a purr and a growl, shook Papyrus’s chest and Frisk smiled. He brought his face to hers and pressed his teeth to her lips. She kissed them, though wasn’t sure that was the appropriate thing to do. Should she press her teeth to his? The idea didn’t seem particularly appealing. He pressed a bit harder, silently asking for her to open her mouth. She did and was pleasantly surprised to find that he had a tongue. When had that happened? The appendage filled her mouth and danced with her own tongue, exploring, searching, tasting, and taking her breath away.

He pressed his lower body against her, pinning her to the wall with his hips and legs, allowing him to move his hands up her waist. She shivered at the sensation, her fingers digging into his sweater, balling the fabric up in her hands.

Frisk hadn’t noticed that he’d called upon his magic until she felt her soul move with the power of it. She gasped, pulling her head back. He moved slightly away from her, but somehow she remained pinned to the wall. He had turned her soul blue and put the gravity point up high. It was a very surreal feeling, as though perpetually falling sideways.

“There’s something I would very much like to try,” he said, letting his hands trace down her hips and thighs. They dipped under her skirt and traced the inside of her legs, going up and up until they hitched onto her panties. 

“Going right for gold, hu?” she said, her voice already breathy.

“Is that alright?” He actually sounded a bit worried, afraid he’d overstepped his boundaries already.

“Normally, I like a little more foreplay, but today,” she laughed. “Today I just want you so much it’s driving me insane.” 

His smile seemed to widen as he pulled off the undergarment in one fluid motion. “Well I won’t torture you by making you wait any longer then.”

To her surprise, he then proceeded to kneel in front of her, pushing up her skirt and leaving a trail of nibbles and licks from her knee to the seam where her thigh met her torso. She whimpered and squirmed when he then proceeded to switch to the other leg and start all over again. He paused a moment when he reached the hip seam again and was rewarded by more squirming and a plaintive whimpering. He chuckled darkly.

“What happened to not torturing me by – mmmahhh!” Frisk’s words were stolen by sensation.

Papyrus took his time exploring her, tasting her, and reveling in every moan and gasp he elicited from her. His tongue slid along her folds, moving around the natural slickness that he had drawn from her, attending to every last inch of her until she was swollen and pink with arousal. 

Sparks of pleasure built and built, leaping from her loin and dancing with heat up her spine. She clawed at the walls as the feel of him ate up her world.

“P-Papyrus I’m ... oh god that feels so good,” she panted, the hormonal fog in her mind making it suddenly difficult to think straight.

Her eyes, half lidded as they were, she still noticed an odd flicker of light off in the direction of the living room. Curious, she managed to swim up from the trance of her building pleasure to look.

Sans stared back at her, slack jawed and wide eyed.

However, not even the shock of being caught in the act could stop her body from climaxing. Frisk’s spine bowed and her eyes flicked shut as she screamed Papyrus’s name into the ceiling. 

By the time Frisk looked back around, Sans was nowhere to be found. 

She slumped, panting heavily as Papyrus emerged from beneath the folds of her skirt, looking quite pleased with himself. He chuckled deeply and lifted her up off the wall, braking the magic he’d put on her.

“Human, I think it would be best if you simply stayed here tonight. You seem in no condition to drive.” He was already ascending the staircase toward his room as he spoke.

“Oh really?” Frisk hummed. “I feel this is a trap to get me into your bed.”

“You sleep in my bed?” he said adopting a counterfeit shock. “Well, if you insist then I, the Great Papyrus, will acquiesce to your most bold demands. Nyeh heh heh.”

Frisk laughed and huddled into his chest enjoying the feeling of being carried.


	5. Consequences of Indulging a Thirst

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well, this was supposed to be a fluffy story. Guess that went out the window. *le sigh*

At some point during the activities of the evening, Frisk’s shirt, bra, and skirt were lost in the darkness of Papyrus’s room. Unfortunately, she had woken in the middle of the night to an indomitable thirst that refused to be ignored. She found one of Pap’s longer sweaters that was large enough on her that it could have doubled as a dress, the hem hanging down by her knees. Figuring that was good enough for a quick trip to the kitchen, she quietly snuck downstairs. 

The house, now lit only by the moonlight that came streaming in through the large windows that lined the rooms, seemed cold and eerie, dark shadows hiding much of the rooms. As she entered the kitchen, she found her flip-flops by the door and realized that there should be one more item of hers down there that really she ought to retrieve if she wanted to save herself some embarrassment.

“I think you lost something under there,” came a baritone voice from the couch.

A pit opened up in Frisk’s stomach that she desperately wished to jump into and hide. Instead, as calmly as she was able, she walked over to the couch where Sans was lying in the dark. 

“Under where?” she asked and then flinched upon hearing the words.

“Exactly,” Sans said pointing back to the dining room table. 

Frisk scurried and grabbed her panties out from under the table. *So much for saving myself embarrassment,* she thought morosely.

She got herself a drink of water and started back up the staircase when Sans’s voice came out of the shadowed room once again.

“I’ve heard some rumors about how you conduct your romantic life,” Sans began, voice measured and cold. “Tell me, Frisk, just what are your intentions toward my brother?”

The brunet turned to find him standing, watching her, hands buried deep in his hoodie pockets.

Her initial instinct was to tell Sans that it wasn’t any of his business what she and Pap did, because really it wasn’t. However, in hopes of avoiding an argument she said, “We’re just... I don’t know... having a bit of fun. I told him how I am and he’s okay with it.”

The stout skeleton frowned, at least as much as he could frown, “Tch, just having some fun? Right. Hell kid, you are really stretching my patience here.”

*So much for avoiding an argument,* she thought. “Listen, what Papyrus and I do is our business. I’m sorry you don’t approve, but it’s not up to you.”

“I swear to god, if you hurt him-“

“I would never hurt Papyrus!”

“Oh, we both know that isn’t true.” The moment the words left him, Sans wished he could take them back.

Hurt bloomed across her face, so raw and real that he might as well have struck her. Old memories of a time when her body was not hers to control, clawed their way up from the grave of the past she had tried to bury them in and danced behind her eyes, making them shine with unshed tears. A suffering ran across her face, the tragedy of a broken child who’d called out for help but received only the robbery of her free will. Then the emotion was gone.

If he’d blinked, he would have missed it, as Frisk schooled her face into the cold mask she usually reserved for the embassy. Pleasant, impassible, and completely false. He hated that expression, which was probably why he avoided her at the embassy like she carried the plague. 

“It will never be enough, will it?” Frisk murmured. “Doesn’t matter what I do, all you’ll ever see is that thing that...” She paused to cut a traitorous tear from her otherwise perfect mask. 

Sans took a fortifying breath and redoubled his resolve, “Leave Pap alone. He’s not just some conquest you can add to your harem.”

“I don’t think of him like that. Not anyone. Maybe I don’t think about sex as some sacred rite, but I’m not collecting people. It’s just-“

“Some fun?” he rumbled. “What, like a game? I won’t let you toy with his emotions like that!”

“I’m not. I-“

“I think the best thing for you to do is to get your duffle bag and leave. I’ll tell Pap-“

“You’ll tell me what, brother?” Papyrus said stepping from the depths of the shadows to stand at the top of the stairs.

Frisk whirled around to see Papyrus, wearing only a pair of orange sweatpants, but somehow still looking like a hero bathed in moonlight. He held his hand out to her and she took it gratefully.

“Let’s get you back to bed,” he rumbled softly and she smiled.

“Bro, I don’t think-“ Sans began but was cut off by a cold glare from the tall skeleton.

“We’ll talk about it later, brother. Get some sleep.”

The door to Pap’s room clicked shut with Sans still glaring at it, worry etched onto his face.

*Tomorrow is going to be a very long day,* he thought and trudged back to his own room.


	6. Worrying About Poor Translations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: more talk of polyamory. Really, by this point, if it bothers you, you really shouldn't be reading this fic.

Frisk sat on Papyrus’s bed, watching him pace and rant as she worried at the end of the sweater she’d barrowed.

“How dare he! HOW DARE HE! I just can’t fathom why he would – this is just- AAAARG!” He stomped his foot in aggravation.

“He’s just worried about you, Papyrus,” Frisk said softly.

“Why are you defending him?!” the frustration in his voice seemed to eat at his energy and he deflated a bit. “He tried to throw you out! Why are you not angrier about this?”

Frisk shrugged casting her blue eyes to her fretful hands, “I guess... I don’t know. I think I just understand that he wants to protect you.”

“What, by trying to dictate my romantic life to me?”

“Maybe he just needs a little reassurance that you know what you’re getting into.”

“It is not any of his concern how I conduct my affairs!”

Frisk fidgeted uneasily, “Maybe I need some reassurance that you’re really okay with everything.”

Papyrus paused and looked at Frisk, but she refused to meet his eyes.

“I mean, I did move pretty fast,” she said, twisting the hem of the sweater she wore. “And I’m just not sure I explained everything properly. I mean, I still intend to see other monsters. You know I really like you Papyrus, and I don’t want to lose our friendship. I was hoping to just add a little to its parameters. I just... did I make that clear earlier? Did I take advantage of how applying the oil made you react?”

Papyrus sighed and sat down on the edge of his bed. “I do not wish to lose our friendship either. However, you need to trust me when I say that yes I really do understand what you are offering. I’ve no designs on keeping your affections all to myself and am glad for the expanded definition added to our original relationship. I do not think I would have accepted it any other way.”

“Yeah?” Frisk asked peeking up at him.

Papyrus took her hand and smiled, “Yeah.”

“Okay, good, thank you.”

Papyrus sighed, “Come now, human. We really should try to get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a very full day I think.”


	7. Song Birds are Meant to Sing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Oral, ecto-penis, non-human-ish genitalia, vaginal intercourse, exhibitionist-ish sort of,
> 
>  
> 
> AN: I went a little poetic with this one. Hopefully it worked out okay.
> 
> This is utter smut.

Frisk really didn’t want to wake up. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been this warm and comfortable, except for one problem. There was something cool and hard pressed against her forehead. Curiously, she opened her eyes. Huddled against her body she found the sleeping form of a tall, slender figure and she couldn’t help but smile down at him. Gently, she placed a kiss on the side of his face which stirred him from his sleep.

At first Papyrus’s eyes widened on seeing Frisk lying next to him, as though he hadn’t expected her to be there. The momentary surprise chased away the fog of sleep and recognition bloomed on his face in the most adorable orange blush she’d ever seen.

“Hi,” she said, a goofy smile possessing her face.

“Hello, human. Did you sleep well?” Papyrus asked in his best attempt at a quiet voice.

She nodded, “Very.”

She kissed his forehead, then his left cheek, along his jaw, and kept on peppering his face with kisses until he was taken by a fit of laughter.

Frisk shrieked happily as Papyrus rolled her onto her back and gently drew his teeth across the side of her neck before nuzzling her cheek with his temple. She still couldn’t get over how smooth the bone was there and though at first she’d worried about aggravating his injury, his constant reassurances the night before had somewhat calmed her enough to simply enjoy the unique affection ritual.

It was then, as he nuzzled again into her neck, that Frisk felt a distinct warmth pressed against her thigh. She smiled and wrapped her arms around his torso, pulling him closer to her. Turning her hips into the warmth she pressed herself up into the waiting magic causing Papyrus to inhale sharply at the sensation. 

“I guess we’re not the only one’s who woke up early this morning,” Frisk said with a dash of laughter making her words light.

“Oh, dear, um... yes,” Papyrus stammered, seemingly embarrassed. “That hasn’t happened in a while.”

“Well then, maybe we should take advantage of it while it’s here,” she said huskily.

“Well, ah... you see, while I would normally very much like to do just that, because the magic gathered while I was asleep, I didn’t get a chance to form it into something suitable for a human body.”

Papyrus made to sit up and Frisk quietly released him from her arms.

Frisk propped herself up on her elbow and surveyed the skeleton thoughtfully, “I was wondering about that. Your sex seemed awfully... human-ish for a monster.”

“You are a human. I just thought it was the polite thing to do,” a shade of pout had managed to edge its way into his voice and Frisk could only smile at it.

“It was very thoughtful, but really I’d love it if you let me try the form you usually take.”

Papyrus hesitated.

Frisk sat up, leaning close and peering up at him patiently, “Please? No pressure. If it’s not something I think I can do then I’ll tell you, but I want to at least try.”

His teeth clicked nervously, but the sweet determination in her eyes drew a nod from him. 

She smiled and placed a hand on his bare sternum, coaxing him to lie back onto the bed. Gingerly, she pulled down the elastic waistband of his sweats, allowing his erection to spring free of the fabric. In the dim morning light, it glowed a pleasant creamsicle orange, a translucent gently spiraling structure, smooth and tall and waiting. She wrapped her hand around the base of it and traced a section of the spiral ridge with her thumb, wondering at the glassy quality of the appendage. Papyrus exhaled softly at the touch, a trace of growl rumbling his chest. He watched her hungrily as she brought her mouth to him, blue eyes waiting momentarily for any sign that he wished to stop. Papyrus said nothing, so she wrapped her lips around him in a heavy kiss before taking him into her mouth and sucking experimentally on his length. His hips rolled up, pushing more of himself into her throat. She took him greedily, swallowing him down before releasing him to lick and kiss his length. She pulled him whole into her mouth once again and the monster beneath her moaned and writhed with the pleasure of it. For Papyrus, time seemed to slip away in a haze of pleasure, watching Frisk bob along his member, a pink flush coloring her cheeks. 

“That’s so good... too good... Frisk,” he murmured breathily, enjoying the slow cloying burn of magic deep within him.

With a small pop, she released him, placing a kiss on the tip of his erection before asking, “I want to know what this version of you feels like. Is that alright? Or-“

“Yes,” he said before she could finish, body already beginning to ache from the lost sensation.

She bit her bottom lip as she smiled heatedly at him, rising up to straddle his hips. Her careful hand guided his length to her opening and with near excruciating languidness he entered her, the walls of her sex slick with her own arousal. Frisk let out a heavy breath, pausing a moment to allow her body to adjust to the new presence within her.

“Are you okay?” Papyrus asked uncertainly.

“Oh yes, very okay in fact,” she said. To illustrate her point she rose up on her knees slightly before bringing herself back down upon him, rolling her hips into the motion, ascending and descending his length in slow luxurious movements. 

A heady growl rumbled the skeleton, the vibrations of it traveling up into the woman above him. Her head tipped back and she pressed her lips together swallowing a moan.

He gripped her waist and bucked up against her, holding her in place as he began to move his hips to the rhythm she set. The thick woolen fabric of the sweater she’d used as a night gown slipped beneath his phalanges making it difficult to grasp her. 

Tugging on the sweater he said, “Off.”

Without hesitation, she obliged. However, the moment the mounds of her breasts were revealed, Papyrus couldn’t help but lunge for them. He wrapped his arms around her torso, holding her close as he buried his face in the soft inviting flesh, a triumphant “Nyeh heh heh” escaping him, as though he’d caught some prize. Frisk laughed as she tossed the sweater aside and bent down to kiss the crown of his skull.

Taking the woman off guard, Papyrus flipped her onto her back, to tower over her. The movement had separated them and she obligingly spread her thighs so he could guide himself back to her. She pressed the back of her hand onto her lips, trying to bite back another moan as he thrust into her, the slickened ridges of his erection sending sparks up her spine as he moved within her.

Papyrus paused, “Why are you so quiet? I can see you don’t want to be.”

Her brow knit together, “Well, I... I don’t want to bother your brother. He’s already so mad at me. I didn’t think it’d be a good idea to make him listen to us.” *He’s already had to see us. Pressing his tolerance doesn’t seem like a wise move* she thought, but kept it to herself.

Papyrus frowned, “Do not worry about him. In fact, I want him to hear you. I want him to know that at this very moment I, the Great Papyrus, am making love to a beautiful woman and he is not.”

For a moment, Papyrus could have sworn he saw the twinkle of stars in her bright blue eyes as she gazed up at him, “Well, in that case, I guess I won’t hold back then.”

The angular skeleton surged forward, pushing into her heat with his own. The smooth spiraled ridges of him moved against her walls in a most delicious manner causing her to throw her head back into the pillows, keening in pleasure. Her hips rose up to meet each of his thrusts, his rhythm steadily increasing, and as it did so did her volume. Soon the room was filled with the breathy exclamations of her pleasure, each sound caressing his heat as surely as the tight, wet, sheath he buried himself in, building his desire and winding the coil of lusty magic ever tighter within him.

“Oh god, Papyrus... you’re amazing! Ah,” she moaned the words, fire dripping off of every syllable. “I want to feel all of you. Please. Mmmm.”

With a swiftness only achievable through single minded purpose, Papyrus lifted her hips throwing one of her legs up over his shoulder and re-angled himself to her entrance. She screamed his name in heady ecstasy as he pushed himself inside her, a volatile rolling growl loosing from his tightly clenched jaw as the entirety of him disappeared within her. He pulled back as far as he could without fully leaving the warm embrace of her sex and slammed himself back inside of her, repeating the motion over and over at a break neck pace.

Frisk clutched at the sheets desperately, meeting his thrusts with her own. The hot weight of her pleasure pooled within her, building rapidly until she couldn’t contain it any longer. Her orgasm burned up her spine as her body arched and her muscles constricted. Shouting her passion in primal sounds, the only way her body could voice its joy of her release, she penned a song of sated lust that began and ended with his name.

A few more erratic thrusts and he followed her over the edge, spilling himself inside of her, his own orgasm drawing a heavy snarl that reverberated into the corners of his room and beyond. 

Spent, he collapsed on top of Frisk, panting happily, skull resting on her breast. 

“Thank you,” she murmured, voice breathy, “for trusting me.”

Papyrus laughed, “Thank you for not holding back.”

Frisk hid her face in her hands, “Oooh man. I feel like I have a bad time banked for me in my not so distant future.”

“Nonsense,” Papyrus began, nuzzling into the soft mound of her breast. “Anyone could hear that only joy and good things have been had in this room and anyone who truly has our best interests at heart will be glad of it.” 

Frisk craned her head up to look at the top of Papyrus’s head, brow slightly knit, before heavily lying back again. “You’ve got a rosy view of the world, but I’m not sure things are quite that simple.” 

“Everything will be fine, you will see,” he reassured her. “Come now, human. I promised you breakfast! Nyeh heh heh!”

With a bounce he leapt out of bed and began to get dressed for the day. Frisk wondered at his boundless energy before fallowing him at a somewhat slower pace.


	8. Coffee First

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No warnings
> 
> set up, set up, set up
> 
> The part in the story where the author pretends like she has any idea how embassies work.

It was still dark outside, even so, as she descended the stairs looking at her phone, Frisk found two dozen texts and e-mails respectively, all marked urgent. She sighed setting her phone down on the dining table and decided to make some coffee before dealing with any of it.

“So, human, how do scrambled eggs, bacon, toast, and watermelon sound to you?” Papyrus chirped as he eyed the contents of the refrigerator.

“Sounds wonderful,” Frisk said starting the coffee maker.

“It does, doesn’t it.”

Papyrus took out the supplies he needed and got to work. It may have just been Frisk’s imagination, but it seemed to her that Papyrus set to arranging his frying pans and mixing bowls with a little more force and noise than was strictly necessary. Even so, San’s room remained distinctly quiet and his door solidly closed.

Frisk set to work answering her messages, fingers moving deftly across her smart phone while the tall skeleton cooked and the coffee brewed. Some time in her haze of her typing, it seemed to her a cup of coffee appeared magically at her elbow and she sipped at it with a murmured thank you. Perhaps it had a bit too much sugar in it for her tastes, but she was still grateful.

Frisk’s eyes were just scanning over the last of her e-mails when a plate slid it’s way in front of her.

“Oh no,” she sighed.

“What is it? Are the eggs not to your liking?” Papyrus asked fretfully.

Frisk looked up surprised to find a plate heaping with food including a slice of watermelon about half the size of her head.

“Oh, no, the food looks great. It’s just,” she sighed looking back at her phone. “The Italian consulate is having a charity gala tonight and I’d told Asriel that I’d accompany him but... no, I just don’t have the time.”

“Because you are helping me,” Papyrus sounded painfully morose.

Frisk waved him off, “Don’t you even worry about it. It’s a frivolous event. Really, just some political socializing. In fact, when I get to the embassy, I’ll tell him to take Muffet. She’d love the press from the event. Problem solved.” She set her phone aside and took up her fork. “Thank you so much for cooking for me again. I feel so pampered.”

Papyrus nodded, still looking concerned as he ate.

Frisk expounded on the deliciousness of the meal and when finished, insisted on helping with the dishes. Before long, the two had taken up positions at the couch and Papyrus was choosing something to watch on the television while Frisk got out the medicinal oil.

The opening theme of an old show began to play an exciting beat and Frisk actually squeaked slightly in joy at the sound of it before beginning her work.

The massage was pleasant enough, but a needling worry ate at him.

“You know,” he began, “After you talked with the ambassador from Scotland, you were able to uncover a family of monsters who had been trapped in a lake on their land, too afraid to leave their underwater caves for fear of the humans. Now the Locks are out in the ocean like they’d always wanted and Onion San told me they’re just wonderful monsters, if not a little shy. That never would have happened if you hadn’t talked with the Scottish ambassador first. “

“There will be other opportunities to talk to the Italians, Papyrus,” Frisk tried to reassure.

“Yes but... helping monsters is just what you do, human. I don’t think I could live with myself if I ended up getting in the way of that. I’ll just find someone else to help me. Maybe Lady Toriel-“

“The oil would soak into her fur.”

“Then Undyne might-“

“No way! She’s way too rough. Undyne would probably crush your skull. Do you remember her cooking lessons at all?” Frisk sighed heavily. “Listen, it’s really not a big deal to miss the charity gala, but if it really bothers you-“

“It does.”

“Then... I guess if I shower here again and have my mom bring me a dress from my apartment, I might be able to make it to the gala without being too late.”

“Excellent! It’s decided then,” Papyrus wiggled triumphantly before settling back to enjoy the rest of his massage.


	9. How Things Really Are Versus How They Are Perceived

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No Warnings
> 
> Overprotective Sans is overprotective.

After what could only be described as a world class goodbye kiss, Frisk left for the embassy a little earlier than she normally would have, to make arrangements for the night’s events.

Papyrus got out a book and sat back at the kitchen table, wondering how long his brother was going to make him wait.

There was a distortion in the light of the kitchen and suddenly Sans was there, pouring himself a cup of coffee.

“You know,” Papyrus began, not looking up from his book. “Frisk made a new pot for you before she left because she knew you’d need it.”

Sans paused a moment then sipped his beverage, “Well, that was thoughtful.”

Papyrus nodded, “It was. She is thoughtful, she works hard every day to help our kind thrive in this new world, and she makes me happy.” He set down his book and looked up at his brother who was staring down his cup like he was trying to lazar a hole through it with his eyes. “What exactly is your problem with her?”

Sans sighed scratching at the back of his skull, “You know, I didn’t think I had a problem until last night. I mean, how she goes about her love life, I’d just thought, it’s not my business. They’re all consenting, competent adults, if it works for them then whatever. But then she drags you into her little circle of sin and that is my business.”

“Circle of sin? What? Is this one of your jokes, because it’s less funny than usual. I mean, wasn’t it just yesterday you were spouting about a monster’s heat being a natural body function? You even teased Frisk about her crush on me! What happened between then and you trying to throw her out of the house last night?”

Sans floundered, “It’s... I just... well... you’ve never shown any real interest in her, not like that. I mean, going into heat, it is a natural thing and I just figured it was all the physical contact triggering it. I didn’t think you’d actually do anything with her. You’ve shot her down before. Why wouldn’t you do it again? It’s a running gag almost. Frisk is frisky for you, but you won’t give her the time of day.” Sans huffed rubbing agitatedly at the back of his neck, “I was just trying to figure out how to broach the whole birds and bones topic with you when I come home and find you fucking her against the kitchen wall!”

Papyrus’s face turned an outrageous shade of orange and suddenly he found that he couldn’t quite look Sans in the face, “You, uh, saw that? Oh dear.”

“Yeah, oh dear is right.”

“Wait, you were going to give me the ‘heat talk?’” Papyrus blinked, “Sans, you... you’re not under the impression... do you think Frisk was my first?”

Sans’s eye sockets widened slightly, the lights within flickering a bit, “Are you telling me she’s not?”

“Of course she’s not. First human I suppose, but you can’t imagine...” he made an exasperated grumbling sort of noise. “I know in your mind, I’ll always be your little brother, but that doesn’t mean I’m some innocent, wide eyed, child.”

Sans did his best to reboot from the bluescreen that had just stolen his senses. “Okay, fine, sure I guess I have been living in the past a little. But still, you’ve never shown any real interest in Frisk as more than a friend.”

“She’s still a friend. That hasn’t changed.”

“But back in Snowdin-“

“Back in Snowdin? That was years ago. We’ve both matured a lot since then and if I’d known then what I know now about her maybe things would have been different. Regardless of what was, feelings can change, Sans.”

The shorter skeleton’s jaw flexed as though he wanted to say something but he drank his coffee instead. He frowned noting that it was already starting to grow cold.

“You’re really okay with this casual sex stuff?” Sans said wearily.

Papyrus fidgeted, “I wouldn’t call it casual. More that we just have an expanded friendship.”

“Friends with benefits?” Sans grumbled. “Ack! Really, just how tightly does she have you twisted around her finger?”

“Stop that! She’s not some seductress that has me under a spell. I haven’t been corrupted. This is what I want. She’s not the one I want to settle down and have a family with. Frisk is... she’s like a warrior I want to fight beside. I trust and respect her and it is fun to... you know... ...the other stuff.” Papyrus valiantly struggled against a blush.

Sans sighed, “Yeah, I know.” He ran a hand over his face, bone clacking against bone, his shoulders sagging in defeat. “Okay... okay, fine then. If this is really what you want then I’ll try to be more understanding.” His face abruptly went cold and stony, “But if she hurts you-“

“Then I will deal with that myself also,” Papyrus interjected. “I wouldn’t want you fighting my battles for me. I am the Great Papyrus after all. Imagine the scandal if I was unable to meet such a common challenge. Unthinkable!”

Sans frowned but relented, “Okay, yeah, fine.” His whole body seemed to rest heavily in defeat, “I guess you really are all grown up aren’t you?”

“Yes, I am, and you don’t have to sound so put out by it.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Sans grumbled rolling his shoulders wearily. “I gotta get to work now, but I should be home early tonight, so no hanky-panky in the living room please.”

“SANS!” Papyrus shrieked, scandalized, a blush burning his cheek bones.

Sans laughed before downing the last of his cold coffee and putting his cup in the sink.

“Anyway, you’ll be happy to know that Frisk won’t have time to... spend the night tonight because she has to attend a charity party at the Italian consulate tonight after she’s done helping me,” Papyrus grumbled.

Sans rolled his eyes, “Guess the work of an ambassador is never done.”

“I know right,” Papyrus said, totally missing his elder brother’s sarcasm. He flipped through his book, looking for where he’d left off. “She was going to skip the event entirely had I not reminded her of her duties.”

Sans blinked, “Oh, was she?”

“Honestly, I don’t know what either of you would do if you didn’t have such a cool guy like me to whip you into shape.”

The short skeleton chuckled and put on his lab coat, “Doesn’t square thinking about.”

And with that, he vanished, smiling at the tune of his brother's aggravated shout.


	10. He Feels His Sins Dripping Through His Fingers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING : Sans/Frisk, sexual content, ruff-ish intercourse, pwp masturbation sequence, ecto-dick, vaginal intercourse, discussion of genocide run, no answers and more questions, angst 
> 
>  
> 
> alternate title - The Bone Brothers Like To Daydream
> 
>  
> 
> Soooooooo much smut. Why am I even bothering with a plot? Oh well, whatever.

Sans locked the door to his private office behind him as he arrived at the lab. He pulled out his chair to sit down and get started on his work, but instead he just stood there staring at his desk, a fine tremble running up his arm.

This wasn’t right. None of it. 

Frisk and his brother, that wasn’t supposed to happen... that NEVER happened! Not once. Not ever. Sans didn’t care what Papyrus said, she was a witch. She’d done something to his brother to make him act so ... un-Papyrus! Nega-Papyrus even! So sure, he’d totally missed that Pap had apparently had other romantic interests. Sans figured he’d just been too busy at work to notice what had obviously been a few fly by night flings, and anyway that didn’t matter. What mattered was that Pap did NOT like Frisk. He was sure of that. It had to be true.

Sans dearly wished that he could get a moment alone with Frisk to really let her know just what he thought of her little arrangement with Pap. If she walked into his office right then, trying to spout off about how this was Pap’s choice and it wasn’t any of his business what they did, he’d really let her have it.

“Not my business?! He’s my brother!” Sans practically growled. “I know my brother and there’s no way he’d ever really be okay with all of this.”

“This?” Frisk asked, hitching a hip on his cluttered desk. “You mean sex? It’s not a bad word you know. It won’t bite you if you say it out loud.” She smiled lewdly, “Not unless you want me to anyway.”

Sans flushed despite himself, floundering momentarily. 

No, he was pissed as hell. She was using his brother as her own personal play thing and he wasn’t going to stand for it! He’d unleash the full furry of hell upon this damn succubae. 

“Do you want me to bite you?” She asked, heavily lidded eyes watching him patiently. “Or do you just want me, period?” 

Sans had had enough. He rounded the desk, grabbed that damn brunet by the collar of her damn blouse and pulled her down to roughly draw his teeth across her neck. She released a heavy shaking breath, her hands going to him to pull him closer. 

“Finally,” she murmured heatedly. “Why did you make me wait so long?”

Hastily, he swept his desk clean before bending the lithe brunet over its surface. He flipped up her skirt and was pleased to find she hadn’t worn any underwear that day, because of course she hadn’t.

“Hey, I got there in the -end- didn’t I?” he said, shamelessly groping her ass with one hand while the other freed his heavy erection, a burbling growl making his laughter hard. 

Frisk’s own laughter was cut short as he thrust himself into her, air escaping her lungs in an abrupt exhale. She pillowed one arm beneath her head and used the other to grab the edge of the desk by her thigh to steady herself as he tore into her, his own hands tightly gripping her hips.

Her eyes were closed and her mouth was parted for a stream of pleasured breaths and keening sounds to escape. Her copper hair danced and bounced upon the cold wood of his desk, moving like water over its surface, hypnotizing him as he traced every inch of her sex with his length. God she was gorgeous like this-- bent to him, wanting him, making all those wonderful noises for him.

The sounds of her desire grew exponentially in volume as her brow furrowed and she tipped her hips back trying for that perfect angle. He leaned over her, removing one of his hands from her hip and resting it heavily on the desk to steady himself as he pushed ever harder and faster into her. Her breath hitched for a moment before she erupted in heady calls of writhing pleasure, her orgasm bowing her back and raising her head and shoulders off the desk as she moaned.

Sans clamped his teeth hard around his own rolling growl of heated mirth as he came heavily upon the side of his desk, the thick blue fluid sliding lazily down its dark surface.

xxx

The skeleton huffed in frustration as he tried to catch his breath. Teeth clacking together he sat heavily on his black, cloth, chair and tried to will himself into some kind of calm.

Hadn’t he taken care of this already today? Early that morning, having to listen to her in the next room, it had driven him insane. She sounded so amazing. If he could, he’d make a recording of her moans and play it on repeat all day long and it would be his favorite song from now to the end of eternity. If Frisk was a witch, then that was her spell. Those sounds of pleasure were enough to enthrall anyone to her control. 

He sighed and pinched the bone between his eye sockets. 

He felt pathetic. Sans knew Frisk wasn’t using his brother, no more than Pap was using her anyway. They’d found a way for their puzzle pieces to click, where their friendship and their desires matched perfectly and rest unbroken and peaceful within each other. As much as he wanted to hate her, he just couldn’t. Pap knew exactly what he was doing with Frisk. The fact that he didn’t know what it was doing to Sans was no one’s fault but his own.

As the last of his heat faded, fond memories of a foolish crush on a bright eyed but determined girl sprung into his mind. A girl who’s stalwart resolve to save every monster in the underground had captured his attention and admiration. A girl who lavished affection and flirtation on everyone she met... everyone except for him. 

No, but that wasn’t really true, was it? She had flirted with him once, after she’d come back to the underground, hands nearly white with the dust of his friends and family, the blade she gripped gleaming in the yellow light of the hall he’d stopped her at. When everyone else was dead, then she’d smiled so sweetly at him with words he’d wished for when he first knew her dancing over her lips. Then she’d tried to kill him.

Hot, bright tears trailed down his face and he angrily scraped them way.

Yet again, he found himself at a contradiction, because when she’d finally done everything right again, saved everyone, freed the monsters of the underground, she’d come to him trembling with suppressed sorrow. She’d gotten him alone, and told him that she knew he seemed to remember more than the others about the past timelines and she wanted to reassure him that it was over. No more jumping around the timeline. It was done.

“I’m so sorry,” Frisk had whispered as the tears began to fall. “I trusted the wrong person. I wish I’d never.... No, in the end it’s my fault you had to suffer so much. I’m so sorry. I'm so very sorry.” Her voice braking, she’d sniffled and shook her head miserably. “I know you have no reason to believe me, not after everything you’ve been through.” She looked up at him then, capturing him with that bright azure determination, “I’ll prove it to you. It’ll take time, but I’ll prove that all I want, all that I’ve ever wanted was to help. You’ll see.”

A few times he’d tried to get more information out of her about what exactly had happened back in the underground. The most he’d been able to glean was that she had asked for help form some entity that she’d believed she could trust, and it had overpowered her will with its own forcing her to kill everyone she met. Beyond that he couldn’t decipher and didn’t have the heart to bring up for all the pain it seemed to cause her. Besides, in the end, he’d decided to forgive her the moment he’d seen that unwavering resolve back in her eyes again. 

Still, though he’d forgiven her, some part of him would never really trust her and would always keep a wary eye on her, waiting for any sign of whatever it was that had abducted her body to return.


	11. Lets Get Down To Business

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mention of genocide run briefly
> 
> Mostly just setup here

The day passed quickly and before Papyrus knew it, Frisk had arrived once again at his front door, her duffle bag slung over her shoulder and a black dry cleaning bag draped over her arm.

“Okay, let’s get this show on the road,” she said hanging her dry cleaning bag on the coat rack by the door and setting her duffle bag down on the floor next to it.

“Oh, I didn’t even think, did you want me to prepare you something to eat while you’re showering?” Papyrus asked as he retrieved the medicinal oil from the bookshelf.

“No need. There’ll be food at the gala. That’s the charity part of the event,” she said as she settled onto the couch, Papyrus resting his back between her legs. “Five thousand dollars for a plate of spaghetti and some mixed vegetables.”

“You’re going to eat a five thousand dollar plate of spaghetti? Wowie!” Papyrus exclaimed nearly bouncing in his seat.

“Well, I’ve got high hopes because I’ve heard good things about the chefs the Italian embassy tends to employ, but usually the food at these charity events is rather poor because the money is going to help folks who need it, not into the actual food preparation.”

“Oh, still, it sounds wonderful.” Papyrus turned on the television and selected a cooking show. 

“There’s usually some news coverage of these events if you want to check it out you’ll probably be able to see it on C-SPAN or something,” Frisk said as she began to spread the oil onto Papyrus’s skull.

“Really!? Maybe I’ll be able to see you on T.V. then! Nyeh heh heh!”

Frisk shrugged, “Maybe, though the cameras seem to shy away from the monsters. Occasionally there’s a cameraman that isn’t too intimidated to approach.”

“Well, you mustn’t think poorly of them,” he soothed. “We monsters are a rather amazing lot.”

“You are pretty spectacular,” she said with a lilt of laughter in her voice.

Just then, Frisk’s pocket began to ring playing an instrumental version of “Ba Ba Black Sheep.”

“Oh, that’s Asriel. Um...” she looked at her oil covered hands. “Could you get that for me. It’s in my left pocket.”

The angular skeleton turned and retrieved the phone from her pocket, hitting the answer key before holding it to her ear.

“Hey Asriel, what’s up?” she asked, continuing the massage on the front of Papyrus’s face since she had better access to it now. “Well that’s because I’m not at my apartment. I’m at the skel-bro’s place helping Papyrus apply his medication.”

She used her thumb to massage oil in the center of his brow. He pushed slightly into her hands, enjoying the sensation immensely. The movement made her smile, drawing images to mind of a puppy who was getting a particularly good head scratch. Pup-Pyrus! Oh goodness, that was gold! She’d have to tell Sa.... She decided to focus more on her conversation with Asriel. 

“What are you doing at my apartment anyway? Did I forget something?” She paused listening to his answer, “Do you think that’ll really matter?” She edged the oil into Papyrus’s cheek bones as she listened to the prince of the monster kingdom. “I guess they are rather big on ceremony these days. Okay then, I should be done here in about an hour and a half so you can pick me up then.” She gingerly gripped the sides of Papyrus’s jaw and smoothed oil into the hinge and down the long sides, her thumbs coming together at his chin. 

Papyrus flinched away, giggling sharply.

Frisk arched an eyebrow at the skeleton. “Thaaat was Papyrus. Apparently he’s got a ticklish chin.” She smiled listening to Asriel, “Asriel says you squeal like a schoolgirl.”

“I do not!” Papyrus said affronted, then took the phone away from Frisk’s ear holding it like a walkie-talkie and said in a projected voice, “I do not squeal. The Great Papyrus may chuckle or even guffaw, but never squeal!”

Ruckus laughter was all that met him from the speaker end of the phone.

“Speaking as a former schoolgirl, you totally squealed,” Frisk said, voice light with suppressed laughter. 

Papyrus put the phone back up to Frisk’s ear, pouting severely.

Frisk leaned forward and kissed his smile. Papyrus blinked rapidly, a blush coloring his cheeks and his signature laugh shaking his shoulders.

“Alright, Asriel, I’ll see you in a little while. Bye-bye,” Frisk said and Pap turned the phone off, setting it down on the arm of the couch.

“So, apparently Asriel wants to arrive at the Italian consulate in style. He’s got a Cadillac and a chauffeur and has some ritzy jewelry that he wants me to wear for the night,” Frisk said as Papyrus settled back into his usual spot.

“That sounds nice,” he chirped. “It is very important to make a good first impression.”

“I suppose,” Frisk said sounding unsure. “Asriel thinks it will show more of a united front between humans and monsters if we arrive together. I guess that makes sense. I just... I get the feeling he’s up to something.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t know. He’s been awfully secretive lately. Showing up at my apartment unannounced is just one in a series of strange things he’s been doing.” Frisk sighed, “It’s probably just in my head though.”

“If you believe he is keeping secrets from you, then you should confront him. With the possible exceptions of surprise parties and gifts, secrets are never a good thing,” he said with an air of finality.

Frisk’s stomach gave an uneasy twist as a few bloody secrets of her own came to mind. She tried to push them from her thoughts and redoubled her concentration on the task at hand.


	12. Fresh Fruit Raw And Dripping

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: aaaaall the smut, ecto-dick, vaginal intercourse, oral, cum swallowing, Pap being awfully smooth for PWP convenience (read- lazy author), if there are some warnings I missed then let me know but I think that's all of them

Shampoo was just running over her closed eyes when she heard a knock at the bathroom door. 

“Yeah?” Frisk called as she tried to swiftly remove the stinging suds from her face. 

“May I come in?” came Papyrus’s voice from the other side of the door.

“Um... sure, that’s fine,” Frisk said, curiosity coloring her voice.

She heard the bathroom door open and close and when she’d finally removed the shampoo from her vision and looked around she found Pap just leaning against the wooden frame watching her through the glass shower door.

“Soooo, what’s up?” she asked as she applied a generous amount of body wash to her luffa. 

“Hm?” he looked up at her face, a slight blush coloring his cheek bones. “Oh, nothing. I just wanted to ... watch.”

Her eyebrows rose with the corners of her smile. “Why Papyrus, you perv. I never knew you had it in you.”

“I am not a ‘perv’. I simply believed there was a view in here that was worth some admiring. Indeed there is, right there,” he nodded at her naked form as she lathered her body. “Glad I didn’t miss out on such magnificent scenery.” 

“You are being uncharacteristically charming, my dear,” she said scrubbing vigorously at her shoulder.

“The Great Papyrus is always charming... though it did help that I’d been thinking about seeing you in the shower since the last time you used it. Gave me time to think of a few different scenarios.”

“Oh really?” She eyed him through the water speckled glass and found his gaze was again wandering along the curves of her body. 

It was hard not to be flattered by the raw look of longing he sported as he watched lines of frothy white suds flow in rivers down her form. Perhaps it was in deference to his gaze that she found herself stretching and posing at angles that really didn’t lend themselves to cleaning herself. She would have felt a little silly if not for the pleasant rumbling purr it elicited from her audience. 

“You know,” she said as she turned off the shower, having thoroughly cleaned everything she had to clean, “if you think we can be quick about it, we might have time to-“

She’d only just opened the shower door when Papyrus rushed her, lifting her by the hips and stepping into the shower with her, her back hitting the cool tiled wall with a small thump. He used a bit of magic to make his feet steady on the slick wet floor of the shower allowing Frisk plenty of leverage to wrapped her legs around his waist to hold herself up as he deftly freed his erection from his trousers. The orange spiral of his heat found its way into her folds and she sighed in a heavy kind of delight as he entered her. 

Distantly, the tall monster regretted that there wasn’t more time for them to enjoy themselves, but between the massage form earlier and simply watching her bathe, he wasn’t sure he’d have been able to slow down anyway. Pumping his hips rapidly, his magic seared him with a maddening kind of pleasure ripping heavy rumbling sounds from him that echoed deliciously in the tiled space.

Frisk found herself gripping onto his shirt rather helplessly, simply along for the ride as it were. Her fingers dug into the white fabric leaving lines of water in their wake. She was soaking wet and so now too was he, the front of his shirt completely drenched and clinging to him. She could actually see through the fabric a bit now that it was damp; saw his ribs heave with his heavy breaths and his scapula shudder with the force of every growl of pleasure he released. Still, that strange effect of his clothing fitting him as though he had skin, sinew, and muscle remained, the cloth seeming to float around the bones. Her fingers roughly traced the flesh magic gave him, mapping muscles on his body that she would never be able to see with her eyes. Frisk had become so entranced by charting his frame that she found herself startled when she felt him cum, the hot fluid filling her explosively and causing her breast to heave at the sensation.

Panting, Papyrus leaned against her heavily, his head resting on her shoulder. Frisk kissed his skull smiling happily.

“Sorry,” he said, voice shaking slightly with a chuckle.

“For what?” she asked before placing a kiss on his exposed neck vertebra. 

“I fear I have made a mess of you after you worked so hard to bathe yourself.”

Frisk actually snorted a laugh at that.

He set her down, detaching himself from her as he did. The odd sensation of his cum leaking down her leg made her shiver as gravity pulled it from her body.

Papyrus knelt before her, eyes watching the line of orange fluid move slowly down her inner thigh. “Allow me to help you clean up.”

Gently, he coaxed her to sit down upon a deep built in bench within the shower then spread her legs to allow him full access. With a summoned tongue, he leaned forward and licked up her inseam and into the raw hot folds of her sex. A small squeak escaped her as he began, shocked by his boldness, though soon succumbing to the electric sensation his tongue elicited as he lapped at her opening. Papyrus himself found a strange kind of delight in tasting his magic mixed with her natural slickness. It reminded him oddly of salted watermelon, sweet but also a bit savory. His tongue reached up into the panting woman above him, touching places no human tongue could reach, and seeking out every drop of the tonic their heat had made. 

Frisk moaned deeply as she enjoyed the work of his tireless ministrations, her hips shaking with a desire to rock into that feeling of pleasure. She leaned back into the bench savoring the sensation of his oh so clever tongue as it dipped and probed her body. 

When he was sure he had removed every trace of himself from within her, the angular monster moved up her labia and attacked the little bundle of nerves that crowned her inner folds. She did buck then, the white hot feel of it overwhelming her as he lashed her clitoris. Bony fingers grabbed onto her hips and held her fast so he was sure not to lose his place. His tongue danced over her, rending towering howls of ecstasy from the woman until he was nearly deafened by it. Her toes curled and her chest felt tight before suddenly release broke across her body, moaning her elation punctuated by her lover’s name as she came.

Papyrus sat up smiling happily at Frisk’s panting form and said, “Well, that went even better than I had imagined.” Then he got up to go fetch them a few towels. 

Perhaps he’d have to do an extra load of laundry tonight for his soaked cloths and used towels, but really he couldn’t think of a better reason for it. No, perhaps that wasn’t true. There were still a few *better* reasons floating around his head, but they would have to wait for another day, when the two of them had a bit more time.


	13. Obvious, When You Think About It

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Plot like a crowbar to the side of the head. I have no elegance. Good gawd, is that me describing clothing in a way that has nothing to do with expressing sexual desires? Arg, what’s become of me? So pedestrian. Also Asriel gets possessed by the personality of Alphys apparently. Also, Pastafarian isn’t really a love of pasta preparation if that joke wasn’t clear. Also, Frisk is a little wired trying to hurry to get ready and at the prospect of doing a meet and greet at the gala. Political socializing is one of her least favorite things, but she does her best to stay high energy about it... making her spaz out even more than usual ^_^
> 
>  
> 
> Setup, Setup, Setup

Papyrus emerged from the upstairs bathroom carrying a number of damp towels along with his soaked shirt. As he padded downstairs he could hear the television running, the distinct sound of a laugh track making him cringe. Reaching the first floor, he saw the back of a white skull barely peeking out from over the top of the couch, watching some old sitcom on the flatscreen. He probably wouldn’t even have noticed his brother was there had Papyrus not been looking for him.

“When did you get home?” the tall skeleton asked on his way to the laundry room.

“While ago,” Sans answered stiffly. “I did say I was coming home early today.”

“Well, we weren’t in the living room, were we,” Pap countered, holding his head up and making a great effort to not be embarrassed.

Sans grumbled something under his breath that Pap couldn’t quite hear.

“And don’t you give the human a hard time about it!” Papyrus warned.

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll be nice. Dripping with good will even.”

Papyrus narrowed eyes at the back of his brother’s head, shifting his soggy load trying to keep it from dripping too much onto the carpet, “I mean it Sans. In fact, just don’t talk to her at all. I don’t want her agitated before she has to go and meet with foreign dignitaries tonight.”

Sans snorted grouchily, “Fine. If I had lips, they’d be sealed.”

The angular skeleton gave the back of his brother’s head a final glare before proceeding to the laundry room.

He was just getting down the detergent when he thought he heard an odd noise. Papyrus turned in time to see a barely clothed Frisk race by the open door.

“Human!” Papyrus called fretfully.

Frisk appeared by the laundry room door and as he had feared was dressed only in a lacy dark blue bra, pantie, garter belt and stalking set, though now she was carrying her dry cleaning bag.

“Oh my god, a shirtless man, skinless too for that matter. My poor virgin eyes,” she laughed.

“Human, what-“

“Forgot my dress on the coat hanger. Gotta hurry,” Frisk said before dashing away.

Papyrus rushed back into the living room and found Sans still sitting on the couch, but instead of watching television, he was looking up the staircase, a faint blush coloring his rounded cheek bones.

“Sans!” Papyrus barked stamping his foot angrily.

The aforementioned skeleton jumped looking guiltily back at his brother. He raised his hands up defensively, “Hey, I didn’t say a word to her.”

Before Pap could say more, there was a sharp knock at the front door.

“Make yourself useful and answer that,” Papyrus grumbled before marching up the stairs to his room.

There were two more sets of knocks before Sans finally made it to the door.

Sans looked up, then up some more at the Prince of Monsters standing on his doorstep. He was dressed in a crisp classic black tuxedo, pressed and polished.

“Hey-ya Azzie, what brings you to my neck bone of the woods?” Sans asked by way of greeting.

Asriel looked down, blinking momentarily, “Howdy, I-um- I’m here to pick up Frisk. Is she-um- she is here isn’t she? She said-“

“Yeah, yeah, she’s still getting ready for your shindig,” Sans said stepping aside, “Come on in.”

Hesitantly, the goat monster entered the home, fallowing Sans into the living room though choosing to stand instead of flopping onto the couch as the skeleton had.

“Your majesty, Prince Asriel!” Papyrus called out as he bounded down the steps taking them three at a time. “It is so good to see you!”

Papyrus extended a hand in greeting and Asriel took it readily enough, but his smile faltered slightly as the skeleton got close.

“Are you alright Prince Asriel?” concern edged the tall skeleton’s voice as he peered into the royal heir’s red eyes.

“Oh... um... please, just Asriel,” he said taking his hand back to scratch at the back of his head. “And yeah, I’m fine. Just a little anxious about being so late.”

“Ah,” Pap held his chin nodding sagely, “Yes, I can understand being destressed at the prospect of being tarty, but worry not. From what I understand, it is much easier to make a grand entrance if one is a little late.”

“Yeah, I’ve heard that too,” Asriel said, painting a polite smile onto his muzzle. “Nice shirt by the way.”

Papyrus beamed in his black t-shirt decorated with a picture of a flying spaghetti monster with the word “Pastafarian” written beneath it. “Isn’t it neat-o! My brother found it online. Apparently, there’s a whole religion around the great art of pasta preparation.”

Sans snickered on the couch, “Uh, yeah bro. I guess you could say these humans have some pretty good taste.”

“Sans,” Papyrus grumbled in a warning tone.

“Eyyyy, spaghetti-bout it,” Sans laughed. 

The angular skeleton made an incomprehensible angry noise at the pun which only made Sans laugh harder.

“Asriel,” Frisk exclaimed from the top of the stairs drawing everyone’s attention.

Her dress hugged her form in a delicate fall of midnight blue silk, a twisting glittering sash of silver embroidery cutting her from her right shoulder, over the swell of her breast, and fading into faint spider silk swirls just below her left hip. Her rounded flats of a matching color to her dress clicked softly as she descended the stairs, her smile bright and welcoming upon her radiant gold hued face.

“You always look so handsome in a tux,” she said happily. 

“You too... um... I mean...” Asriel stuttered. “I mean – look beautiful – inadressnotatux,ofcourse. Imean,I’msureyoucouldpullitoffbutIwasn’treferingto-Imean,ofcourseIwasn’t-Iwasjust-I-“

Frisk stood on her tip toes, reached up, grabbed Asriel by his horns, and head butt him, their foreheads meeting with a thunk.

“Human! What are you doing?“ Papyrus squawked aghast.

“Asriel, take a breath and calm down,” Frisk said softly, her forehead still pressed to his. “You’re going to pass out if you don’t stop to breath.” She kissed the top of his muzzle before wiping away the shadow of her lipstick that had been left behind and dropping down to flat feet.

“What’s got you so wound up?” she asked looking at him worriedly. “I haven’t seen you this flustered in a long time. Is everything okay?”

“Oh, yeah, everything is fine. Great even,” he said with a broad smile.

Frisk frowned and raised an eyebrow at the prince.

“I...ah... I got you a thing,” Asriel stammered pulling a long black velvet box from his back pocket. He almost dropped the box as he snapped it open, revealing a glittering necklace of white gems.

“Oh, neat,” Frisk said as though he was showing her the first entries in his new feather collection.

“You don’t like it?” dismay colored Asriel’s voice.

Frisk shrugged and chuckled, “Hey, you know I’m not big on jewelry. Besides I thought you just wanted me to wear this stuff to make me look more refined for the dignitaries at the gala.” She adopted a mock tone of wounded pride, “Guess I’m just too plain and frumpy to be seen on the arm of the Prince of Monsters without some ice to distract from my peasant upbringing. Oh Asriel, you must be so embarrassed by me. Woe is me. Wooooooe!”

Asriel gave Frisk a flat look, unamused by her antics. 

“Oh come now, human, stop teasing the Prince. I’m sure it’s going to look beautiful!” Papyrus said chidingly. “Hurry and put it on so we can see.”

Frisk rolled her eyes but took up the necklace, snapping it around her neck with ease.

The gems picked up hints of her dress and shown coolly against her skin, glittering like icicles under a clear sky.

“I knew it, gorgeous!” the tall skeleton exclaimed.

“Yeah?” Frisk beamed, a slight pink shading her cheeks.

“Next to these two boneheads, you look like a diamond in the ruff, kid,” Sans said peering over the top of the couch at her.

Seven shades of red hued her face at that, “Thanks.”

Asriel frowned and took Frisk’s hand, leading her to the door, “Come on. We’re late enough as is. Let’s get going.”

Frisk threw her goodbyes over her shoulder as she allowed Asriel to escort her out to the waiting car. 

As the door closed behind the couple, Papyrus turned to his brother, hands upon his hip bones and eyebrow ridge raised.

“Yeah, I know, I wasn’t supposed to talk to her, but you can’t expect me to pass up an easy joke like that,” Sans grumbled turning back to the television. 

“Joke?” the tall skeleton said leaning on the back of the couch facing away from his brother, “That sure didn’t sound like a joke to me. To me, that sounded a lot like flirting.”

Sans sputtered, “What? Heh! No way! You’re crazy Pap. Think that head injury must have scrambled your senses ‘cause you’re talk’en nonsense over easy.” Sweat began to gather at the hoodie clad skeleton’s temple. 

“Your irregular behavior, mood swings, it’s all starting to make sense,” Papyrus said thoughtfully.

“I’m telling you, I wasn’t flirting!” He huddled into his classic blue hoodie as though it would protect him from whatever madness his brother was spouting. 

“You know, Sans, as great as I am, there are many reasons you might have to be jealous of me-“

“I’m not jealous!” the stout monster cut in with a hiss.

“Uh-hu,” Papyrus mused skeptically. “Well, that may be, but if you were jealous, then I would tell you that you might not need to be. You could always ask her. She might say no, but she might say yes. You won’t know until you try.”

Sans’s shoulders sagged in defeat, “She’d say no. Anyway, Frisk is with you now. I’m not going to ask out the girl my brother is seeing.”

“You don’t know she’d say no... unless you don’t think you can share. Anyway, it doesn’t bother me if you two have some fun. It’d probably be good for you to let off some steam.”

“Pap, come on man!” Sans squawked doing an incredible, though inadvertent, imitation of his brother, a blush taking possession of his rounded face.

Papyrus only laughed before vaulting over the top of the couch to plop down heavily next to his brother. He grabbed up the remote and hit the menu button.

“Sans, do you know which channel C-SPAN is on? Frisk said there might be some coverage of the Italian Gala there.”

“Uh, 243 I think, but why would they cover something like that?”

Papyrus found the channel and sure enough, a live feed of the event was being broadcast.

“Geez, must be a slow news day,” Sans yawned settling into the couch.

His brother was being ridiculous, Sans thought, which overall wasn’t fair because ridiculous was his shtick. Anyway, there was no way he was going to approach Frisk. It was clear to him that the woman wasn’t interested... and after he’d been such a grade A jackass to her, there was definitely no chance she’d want anything to do with him... and on top of everything, it was inconceivable that he’d even consider seeing the same woman as his brother. It was just too weird... wasn’t it? Yes, really weird! Beyond weird even... probably... maybe...


	14. Rude

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> no warnings  
> notes at the end ^_^

Smile, nod, make polite small talk, rinse, repeat. The charity gala was a taffeta swirl of glad handing, double talk and ladder climbing. Within the first two hours of arriving at the event, Frisk was already beginning to feel exhausted. She’d underestimated how excited (read greedy) everyone would become after the courts threw out Monsanto’s lawsuit over zoning rights in regards to magical agriculture. With that hurtle cleared, expanding where monsters could grow their magic based crops had become exponentially simpler. It had been a significant obstacle to overcome and it seemed everyone was aware of it, and aware of the potential profit that could be made. She and the Prince of Monsters were more popular than they’d ever been before.

Despite how overwhelming it sometimes seemed, Frisk was grateful to Papyrus for insisting she attend the gala. The connections she was making there would be very useful down the road. Though, truthfully, the whole event was worth attending if for nothing else than simply to witness a very drunk representative of some country whose name Frisk couldn’t remember, sloppily hit on Asriel who was desperately trying to remain polite as he rebuffed the girl’s advances.

“You are remarkably tall,” the woman said, her speech only slightly slurred.

“Um... thank you?” Asriel said as he tried to turn his back on her.

“You know, I never understood the whole... what was it... furry craze? Adults dressing up like farm animals and rutting each other. But meeting you, I think I get it,” she said with a wink.

“Excuse me?!” Asriel balked.

“Do monsters have something similar? Maybe you dress up like humans and pretend to be civilized.” The woman tipped sideway but righted herself quickly with a mad giggle at her clumsiness. 

The Prince’s eyes flashed, a shadow of a former life rearing its ugly head, “Listen here you stupid c-“

“Asriel!” Frisk cut in hastily. “There you are. Did you see the dance floor? We should definitely check that out, right now!”

Frisk nearly yanked the Prince off his feet, pulling him away from the repugnant dignitary and onto the crowded dance floor. With a disgruntled huff, Asriel took up his ambassador by the hand and waist and began leading her in a quick paced waltz.

“Can you believe that political trash heap,” Asriel seethed.

“She was just drunk,” Frisk tried to sooth.

“That is no excuse! Can you imagine the headlines that would show up if I said something like that? I’d probably be summarily executed on the spot.”

“People aren’t executed for being stupid and crass.”

“I’m not ‘people’ though, am I,” Asriel rumbled darkly. “I barely rate above barnyard animals apparently.”

“No, you’re not people.”

Asriel blinked wide eyes at his dance partner who was frowning up at him.

“You’re royalty,” Frisk continued, “a leader of a race of fantastic and diverse beings. You are helping to change the course of history as we know it by guiding your countrymen into this new era of prosperity. That girl isn’t worth the effort it’d take to be angry at her. You’ve better and more pressing ways to spend your energy, like securing the rightful and flourishing future of your citizens.”

Asriel was suddenly thankful for his course white fur which hid the blush currently burning his face. He smiled toothily before twirling the lithe brunet into a dip, “Well, as long as I have a little energy left over to show you exactly how grateful I am to have you in my corner.”

Frisk grinned and it made her eyes sparkle with mirth, “I’ll be looking forward to that.”

....................................................................................

“And here we see the ambassador and Prince of the Monster kingdom taking advantage of the twelve piece orchestra and dance hall,” said a highly quaffed news correspondent into her microphone. “It’s interesting to note that, through an unusual turn of events, both of them-“

“Doesn’t that bother you?” Sans asked over the repetitive drone of the news caster.

“Doesn’t what bother me?” Papyrus asked watching the television, enraptured by the decadence of the event.

“Seeing Frisk with Asriel.” Sans rubbed at the underside of his jaw, “Doesn’t it bother you that she’s pawing all over him in public no less. She can’t do that with you if publicly she’s supposed to be with Asriel. You three might be okay with sharing, but the world at large isn’t. Frisk is the public face of monster/human relations and she can’t just mess around with whomever. She wouldn’t be able to do her job if all anyone ever talked about was her sex life.”

A shadow of worry fell over the tall monster, “That is regrettable, but I’m not particularly interested in public displays of affection. Everything that has changed in our relationship I’d prefer stay private.” Papyrus turned to his brother, “Does it bother you? Is that why you never-“

“I told you, I’m not interested,” Sans snapped.

Pap only rolled his eyes.

“But...” Sans continued slowly, “if I was in a relationship with someone and I couldn’t even hold their hand in public... I don’t know. I think that would bother me. You know, theoretically speaking.”

Papyrus sighed, “Yes, I think I can understand those concerns even if I don’t share them. It is certainly something to consider, whether or not any intimacy you might share by yourselves would be worth hiding from a fool populous. Certainly something I hadn’t thought about before, but I suppose there is some use for secrets in the world. It’s unfortunate.”

Sans frowned and returned his gaze to the television, noting that the reporter had waylaid Frisk and Asriel and was asking, of all things, about what Frisk was wearing. Didn’t want to know about the recent attack on the king, didn’t want to ask about what the court’s ruling on the Monsanto law suit would mean for magic based agriculture, didn’t even mention anything about monster rights or recent developments in the ever fought over equality legislations. No, this reporter’s hard hitting question was, “Who are you wearing?” How disappointing. Distantly he wondered when C-SPAN had been taken over by the tabloids. 

“That necklace is amazing!” the reporter was saying. “Is it an original design?”

Frisk put a hand to the gems around her neck and smiled her showman smile – bright, dazzling, and totally empty. “I’m not really sure to be honest.”

“It’s a family heirloom actually,” Asriel said casually. “Magic crafted under the mountain.”

“Oh my!” the reporter practically squealed. “I had no idea Monsters could make something like that with magic.”

Frisk’s eyes sparkled, “There are many things they can craft with magic that simply wasn’t available before. Thanks to the court’s ruling in the Monsanto agricultural zoning suit, it’ll be much easier for monsters to share the –fruits- of their labor.”

Sans snickered on the couch and Papyrus frowned.

“You’re a terrible influence on the human,” Pap grumbled. “Puns on national television. Disgraceful!”

“There’s so much magic has to offer that humans lost access to because of old fears and prejudices,” Frisk continued, a thread of restrained excitement and hope lending power to her voice. “The medicinal benefits of magic based crops alone are still only just being tapped into and I’m confident, with this new ruling, much more good news will arise, not just for monsters but everyone.”

The reporter blinked, taken aback by Frisk’s sudden switch to Monster spokeswoman extraordinaire. 

“Speaking of good news,” Asriel said reaching into his breast pocket, “I was looking for the right time to tell you that the necklace is part of a set.”

A small black velvet box appeared in his hand. “I think this is probably as good a time as any.”

The reporter actually squeaked as Asriel got down on one knee looking up at his shell shocked ambassador.

“Brother, what is the Prince doing?” Papyrus asked nervously.

There was a flicker of light on the couch and Pap looked over to see that Sans had disappeared.

Asriel cleared his throat nervously, “Frisk, you are the most important person in my life. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” Slowly he began to open the box in his hands saying, “Will you-“

The light flickered beside the couple and Sans appeared, hallow eyed and perspiring. 

“Oh, what ‘cha doing making speeches while you’re tying your shoes?” Sans asked lamely, ignoring the startled shrieks of a few nearby humans. He clamped a hand on Asriel’s shoulder and took Frisk’s arm. “Sorry, -goat- to go!”

The light flickered again and the three of them appeared in the skeleton brother’s living room. The reporter was left baffled, wondering what might possibly have just happened and expounding on the marvels of monster magic. Papyrus turned off the television.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Inaccurate description of furriers is purposefully inaccurate to provoke desired outcome ^_^ Also, how obvious is it that I’ve never watched C-SPAN in my life? Very? I thought so ^_^)


	15. Explode Implode

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Extensive talk of genocide run. Asriel is very broken. Lots of questions are brought up... not so much answers though. 
> 
>  
> 
> What happened to my smut? Gosh darn this plot! I just can’t seem to shake it! .... Let me know if you think I should crowbar in more smut or allow the plot to run its course.

“Get the hell off of me you damn trash bag!” Asriel growled throwing off Sans’s hand and getting to his feet. The goat monster used his considerable height to loom darkly over the short skeleton who laughed nervously and took a step back. 

Asriel’s red eyes flashed with fire, “What is the meaning of this? What would possess you to-“

“Asriel!” Frisk snapped, acid dripping from her voice. “You should be thanking Sans right about now. He saved you some embarrassment despite your best efforts; though I’m already wondering if it wouldn’t have been better if he’d just let you twist. I can’t even imagine the PR nightmare happening as we speak.”

As if on cue her cell phone rang – her cell phone which she had tucked away into her bra. Fishing it out, she turned away with a tired sigh. “Hello? .... Hey-ya Tsun.... Yeah.... No, I don’t know what he was thinking either,” Frisk shot Asriel a dark look over her shoulder. She heaved a heavy breath and pinched the bridge of her nose, “Can we, I don’t know, spin this somehow? Could it possibly have looked.... Well that’s exactly what it was, but you forgot shortsighted, idiotic, rash, and selfish!.... No, I didn’t forget those, I just didn’t want to say them out loud because he’s standing next to me and I’d rather not make him cry.”

“What is she saying about me?” Asriel demanded, hackles rising.

Frisk shot a hand up in his face, silencing the Prince of Monsters without looking at him.

“Tsun.... Tsun, calm down, it’s all going to be fine.... I don’t know, but we’ll figure it out... The Sapient Equality Act is going to go through.... It will.... Tsunderplane.... ....” Frisk rubbed her temple wearily, “Hi Marko.... Yeah, I know.... No, I didn’t know he was going to do that.... Yeah.... Yeah, me too .... I’ll tell him.... For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.” She hung up the phone turning to Asriel fully. “Well, you made Tsunderplane cry so Marko wants you to know that he’s going to kick your ass.”

Asriel blinked, “What? Why is Marko-“

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe it’s because you pretty much torpedoed any chance for him and the monster he loves to legally get married with your damn fool stunt!” Frisk shouted.

Asriel scowled, “What are you talking about?”

“The Sapient Equality Act! Remember that? The bill the senate is going to vote on in the next few months.”

“Of course I remember,” Asriel barked back at her. “That’s part of why I was proposing.”

“What!” Frisk’s phone began to buzz and vibrate as she received message after message. Angrily she switched her phone off and put it down before she threw it at the goat monster’s head.

“You were the one who was saying it would be a good idea to use the media to highlight a monster/human couple who wanted to get married,” the Prince spat back at her.

“Yeah, like Tsunderplane and Marko, or Temmie and that game designer of hers, or practically anyone else but us!”

Asriel reeled looking hurt, “Why not us?”

“You mean besides the fact that we are by no means exclusively seeing each other, which after some hard digging by the press will become quite apparent, and believe me they will dig. Or maybe it has something to do with the fact that we call the same woman Mom!”

He frowned, “Obviously, you’re adopted, and anyway, technically you were still an emancipated minor at the time who-“

“That’s not going to matter!” Frisk barked as she began to pace the floor. “Our relationship is complicated and people don’t like complicated. They’ll tolerate it to a point, but it’s not going to make us any friends. We were already getting crap about seeing each other, but this is a whole new ball game. The opposition has been chomping at the bit for some substantial reason to morally appose monster/human marriages. You just handed them a doozy. Humans on mass are stupid and with the right set of words they can easily be worked into a frenzy. I guarantee you that come the morning paper, we’ll be reading headlines the include ‘whore,’ ‘incest,’ ‘Stockholm syndrome,’ and for the exceptionally stupid ‘bestiality.’”

“But none of that is true,” came Papyrus’s straightforward voice, cutting through the emotion that was smothering the room.

Frisk paused her march to face the skeleton fully, “It doesn’t have to be. It just has to appear true for a moment, just long enough to make people mistrust monster’s intentions and get them worrying. The sensational headlines will be dismissed readily enough, but the disgust will be there, the insecurity, and the old fears will start to seem more pressing again. Many humans are still terrified of the possibility of soul eating, that the wolf is just wearing a lambskin to make it easier to hunt.”

“Wait,” Sans injected. “I don’t think I’m fallowing your logic here. What does your polyamory or how you’re related to the Dreemurrs have anything to do with soul eating?”

“Well that’s probably because this isn’t really about logic, it’s about feelings and setting a president, tenuous as it may be. I’ve been able to keep humans relatively calm about their fears regarding soul eating because in recorded history it’s only happened once and in all of Monster literature it’s fairly demonized and railed against. However, if enough humans get it into their heads that Monsters are morally bankrupt according to their own personal beliefs, they’re going to be more likely to doubt, more likely to fear, and more likely to hate. Feeling isn’t fact but it can be twice as powerful if stimulated purposefully. It’s much easier to sway a crowd with panic than with intellect, maybe not forever, but long enough to do a lot of harm.” Explaining this seemed to wear the woman out and she looked back at a seething Asriel with sympathy in her eyes. “Asriel, you know I love you, but I love a number of people and you know that too. I get how you might have misunderstood me but why didn’t you at least talk to me about your proposal beforehand? This isn’t like you.”

“A number of people,” Asriel repeated her words bitterly. “That number is growing every day, isn’t it?” His eyes slid icily to Papyrus who fidgeted and frowned under the Prince’s gaze.

“Asriel,” Frisk said sternly, drawing his attention back to her.

“I was going to talk to you about it. That’s why I came to your apartment. We were going to have a nice long talk about it – make a pro/con list even.” A snarl curled Asriel’s lip revealing rows of impossibly sharp white teeth, “but then I came here and I found out you’ve added another name to your dance card, not because you bothered to talk to me about it, which you always have before, but because I can smell your sex on him.”

Papyrus flushed an outrageous shade of orange and stood, taking up a combative posture.

“You might want to want to watch yourself there, bud,” Sans warned the Prince, hands loose at his sides and a fluid energy sharpening his stance.

“You’re right,” Frisk said much to the shock of everyone. “I should have let you know that my relationship with Papyrus had changed. That was wrong of me. I let myself get swept away by the moment, but I should have made the time to talk to you about it. I’m sorry.”

Asriel stared into Frisk’s bright blue eyes and frowned, not finding what he was looking for in them.

“Time,” the Prince growled, “That’s another thing isn’t it? We can barely snatch enough time to get in a quick fuck before running to the next meeting or whatever, but I can’t even remember the last time we were able to just talk without having to rely on e-mail. I thought that’s just how it had to be because you were so damn busy. Somehow, though, for Papyrus, you’re able to free up hours of your day to spend with him.”

“What kind of jealous bullshit are you spouting? You’ve never had a problem with me seeing other people.”

“Other people, sure, but not them!” Asriel gestured angrily at the skeleton brothers.

“What? Why?” 

“They aren’t safe.”

Frisk glanced at Papyrus who seemed just as confused as she did.

“You’re kidding right?” Frisk said in exasperation. “Hell, the reason I’m spending extra time with Papyrus is because I’m helping him heal from an injury he got protecting our family!”

Asriel ground his teeth searching the floor for a moment before muttering, “Heal? Right, think you’re doing a little more than that.” A cruel grin cut across his face as he tossed his gaze toward the lanky skeleton, an ugly gleam in his eye. “Let me give you some advice there Pap. When you’re putting it to her, really get in there deep. She’s the kind that really loves a good cervix massage. Be prepared though because, boy-howdy, she bucks like a bronco. Maybe you can get your brother to hold her down for you since you’re such a light little thing. I bet she’d just love that. Probably one of her favorite fantasies, I’m sure. Or have you two already made that a reality for her?”

Two enormous skeletal dragon heads appeared in the room, eyes blazing with magic and pointed at Asriel with deadly intent.

“I think it’s long past time you leave, pal,” Sans growled, the glow of his left eye blindingly bright.

“What is wrong with you?” Frisk breathed as she stared at the Prince, eyes wide with suppressed rage, adrenalin shrinking her pupils in fine concentration. “Why would you-“

“There!” Asriel pointed at the woman triumphantly. “There he is. I’ve really got to shock you these days to see him again, but I knew he was still there.”

“He?” Papyrus said confusion causing the glow of magic in his right eye to dim slightly.

“Chara,” Asriel rumbled. “He warned me not to let the two of you get too close to Frisk. I should have listened. Frisk, you have to listen to him.”

“Chara?” Papyrus asked. “Frisk, what is he talking about. I don’t understand. This is all getting terribly confusing.”

A cold sweat fell over Sans, his pupils having turned to flickering white points of light. His gaze turned slowly to the woman in the long blue dress, watching the fire fall from her face as horror and fear chased the strength from her features. 

“You were trying to bring back Chara?” Frisk’s voice seemed hallow and distant in her throat. 

“I just-” Asriel flinched, his eyes narrowing and he stammered somewhat waylaid by the pain on Frisk’s face. “He understands. He’ll explain it better. Just listen to him.”

“Chara is gone,” Frisk said slowly. “And even if he was somehow able to talk to me again, what makes you think I’d listen after what he made me do?”

Asriel frowned, “Made you do? You agreed to it-“

“I agreed to giving you a piece of my soul, not to murdering everyone I care about!” Hot tears burned her eyes, making them shine.

“Tch,” Asriel rolled his eyes. “No one stayed dead. They’re all fine now and don’t remember a thing.”

“I remember!” Frisk shouted, lines of sorrow falling down her face. “Sans remembers! He’ll probably never forgive me, nor should he. I don’t know why Chara wanted Sans to hate me, but he succeeded.” She cut the tears from her face with an angry hand, though more soon took their place, “God, I hate me too.”

“But why? It’s all fine now,” Asriel insisted.

“It’s not fine! They may be alive now, but I killed them, one by one, a hundred times over. I see them walking through the office and suddenly I have a vision of them turning to ash before my eyes, faces twisted in fear. It haunts me. I’ll never escape it. I’ll never be able to atone!”

“You have nothing to atone for,” a note of exasperation colored Asriel’s voice.

Frisk threw up her hands, “You may have had the luxury of not having a soul to weigh down your conscious when you hurt them, but I didn’t. I had to feel it – scream for him to stop and he just-” her voice broke as her face convulsed in grief, “he just wouldn’t.”

“You think it doesn’t hurt?” Asriel bit back at her, his mask of disdain beginning to crumble. “You think that just because I didn’t have a soul at the time, I don’t remember what I did? That it doesn’t make me sick. At least you had a reason to kill. I was just bored.” Tears ran down the Prince’s face, darkening his white fur. “But I do remember. I remember what I did and the only thing that keeps me sane is believing that they’re all safe and happy now, that I didn’t do any permanent damage except to myself. Chara understood. Why don’t you?”

Suddenly Asriel looked lost, the energy sucked out of him, he sank to his knees looking down at his trembling hands in his lap, tears falling into his upturned palms.

Frisk closed her eyes, a pained and weary expression holding her visage for a moment. Taking a fortifying breath, she cut the tears from her face once more and went to Asriel, kneeling in front of him though not touching him.

“Frisk,” Papyrus said nervously.

“It’s okay,” she said sniffling.

“It’s really not,” Sans rumbled.

The coper haired woman frowned but said nothing, just sat with her hands drawn together atop her thighs, watched silent tears fall from Asriel’s eyes, and waited. 

“I’m sorry,” Asriel muttered miserably.

“I know,” Frisk whispered with a patient sigh.

“He hurt you.” The Prince’s heavy brow drew together as old memories danced fresh in his mind. “He hurt me too, when no one was looking, in ways that wouldn’t leave marks.” His massive clawed paws clenched and unclenched.

“I know.”

“Even so... I.... I think he loved me... in his own way... ... didn’t he?”

“He did, but it wasn’t a healthy kind of love.”

A choked and pathetic sob escaped his teeth and he buried his face in one of his paws, “I miss him. God, how sick is that? He hurt everyone I care about and I’m still trying to think up ways to shock you just for a chance to see him in your eyes. But that’s not him, is it? He’s really gone.”

“Yes, he is.” She took a deep breath and rest a hand against his shoulder. “I haven’t heard him since he forged your new soul. I’m pretty sure he used up whatever was left of his spirit to help you. Whatever else he was, in the end, he did everything in his power to help you. I understand why you miss him, but you have to let him go.”

Asriel enveloped Frisk in his powerful arms, trembling with the force of his sobs. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

“I know, Asriel. It’s going to be okay.” Frisk rubbed large circles into his back returning his embrace with ease. 

Asriel pulled back, wiping the tears from his face and sniffling loudly, “He said ... he said not to trust them. That they would undo everything. That they would hurt you.”

“Chara may have loved you, but he was also a selfish, possessive, prick.” Her eyes grew cold and hard as she spoke. “I’d tend not to put too much weight into his opinion of folk he thought of as rivals. Besides, do you really think Papyrus would ever hurt me?”

“Well, not on purpose maybe,” Asriel said sounding slightly abashed.

“Not ever!” Papyrus interjected adamantly. “I do not believe I quite understand all that is going on here,” he said sitting back down on the edge of the couch, leaning forward in keen interest, “but if all of this is just some misplaced ire brought up by concern over Frisk’s wellbeing, then I suppose I can understand your outburst. However, despite whatever this ‘Chara’ person might have told you, I can assure you that neither I nor my brother would ever do Frisk harm.”

Sans flinched, realizing that Pap hadn’t missed his omission from Frisk’s assurances to Asriel.

A heavy grumbling sigh escaped the stout skeleton drawing the room’s attention. “For the record, I don’t hate you Frisk.”

The woman’s eyebrows raised in visible shock, her mouth parting in a silent ‘oh.’

“I just,” he continued, stuffing his hands into his hoodie pockets, “I wish you’d explain to me exactly what it was that happened under the mountain.”

“I agree,” Papyrus chirped. “It seems a great deal of information has been withheld from us that I strongly feel we should know.”

Frisk’s brow knit in worry and she closed her eyes.

“Don’t,” Asriel pleaded.

Her eyes opened slightly, as though she were too exhausted to pry her lids apart any further, a heavy weight settling on her shoulders.

“May I have some time to deal with the whole proposal fiasco first?” she asked, voice hallow and resigned.

“If you truly do not wish to speak on the matter, then no one will force you too,” Papyrus assured, concern raising his voice an octave. “But we would like to know at some point.”

Frisk nodded, getting to her feet and helping Asriel to stand as well. She clapped her face with her hands making a loud “smack” sound against her cheeks that seemed to renew some of her lost vigor.

“Alright, so, Asriel,” Frisk said catching the Prince’s eye. “I’m going to get in contact with the PR department and we are going to figure out what needs to be done to put out this fire and you are going to do whatever it is we work out. Get some sleep but keep your phone next to your head for when I call to give you the game plan.”

She turned next to the hoodie clad skeleton, “Sans, will you take Asriel to Toriel’s house? I don’t want him alone after all of this.”

Sans shrugged, “Sure kid.”

Asriel looked like he was going to protest, but a hard look from Frisk made him think better of it.

“I will get my stuff together and head home. Everything I need to do can be done over the phone so I might as well be comfortable.” Frisk grabbed up her phone and started up the stairs to the bathroom where she had left her duffle bag.

“Shall we,” Sans grumbled, holding out a hand to Asriel.

The red eyed monster gave him an unfriendly glare before taking the offered hand and allowing Sans to teleport away.

Papyrus put his hands on the top of his head and leaned back on the couch. His soul felt heavy with worry. There was so much he didn’t understand about Frisk’s conversation with Asriel. Who was Chara? Why did Frisk keep saying she’d killed people that were now not dead? What did his brother know about all of this? On and on, question after question. Too many questions. He hoped there would be answers soon.

.............................................................

As soon as Frisk closed the door to the bathroom, she took out her phone and turned it back on. The device buzzed and let her know that she had several hundred messages waiting for her and four dozen missed calls. 

The monsters were in a panic. It was going to be okay though. She was going to make sure of that. In fact, she’d already figured out a simple way to solve everything and decided to get the ball rolling that very moment. 

With deft fingers, she began to type up a message to Jerry in legal.

“You were right. It is high time a Monster start representing Monster interests. Start drawing up the paperwork and I’ll sign it as soon as I get into the office. I’ve got a candidate in mind, but leave the name blank for now.” The digital message sped off and Frisk set about the task of gathering her things into her duffle bag.

Yes, there was a very simple way to solve the problem the Prince had stumbled into. As long as Asriel was guiltless, there would be no reason for anyone to panic. As long as the papers had something juicy to chew on, they’d leave the Monsters alone. Idly she wondered if there’d be anything left of her when they were done. Somehow, she didn’t think there would be, and somehow, she couldn’t bring herself to care anymore.

Distantly, a gravely baritone echoed in her ears and she wrapped the words they spoke around her like a warm blanket. 

“Just give up. I did.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did this chapter make sense? I feel it kind of went all over the place and I'm not sure I succeeded in making everything coherent. Let me know what you think ^_^


	16. Twice Denied, Once a Fool

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: genocide discussion, sexual fantasy sequence, masturbation, groping, ecto-tongue, voyeurism, I think that’s all... let me know if I’m wrong ^_^

She had five hours to sleep. The mishap around Asriel’s proposal was as dealt with as it was going to be. He was scheduled to appear on a morning talk show to talk about how he’d been trying to invoke an old ceremonial Monster custom of chivalry but hadn’t realized how the custom had look strikingly like a marriage proposal which, he would assure, it most certainly was not. He would say how foolish he felt about the whole thing and was thankful to his tireless staff who had saved him a bit of embarrassment by pulling him aside and having a talk with him about human wedding proposal rituals. It was a sloppy excuse but Frisk was banking on Asriel’s teddy bear like adorableness to carry him. That and a bit of misdirection. Sure no one would believe him, but hopefully no one would look too close into his social life either. 

There would also be another monster/human couple on the show that would talk about their struggle to marry and how though they were recognized in the Monster Kingdome as man and wife, they were denied this among the human governments and would expand on how it was affecting their life together. Frisk thought she’d probably get some flack about the Italian gala event being a stunt to start talks and gather sympathy for monster/human relationships, but that was fine. Better that than inquiries about her relationship to the Dreemurr family or, worse yet, having reporters dig in a direction that might damage humans’ views of monsters. Anyway, if all that didn’t work, she had set out a raw piece of meat for the media to sink their teeth into and hopefully some combination of all of that would be enough to sate the public’s curiosity. 

It was done. Either it would work out or it wouldn’t. The best thing for her to do right now was get some sleep.

With a shaking hand she wiped at the tears that streamed down her face. She’d been lying there for about a half hour trying to will herself to sleep, but her mind was a tornado of worry and fear and the back of her eyelids seemed to be playing a compilation of the most vicious murders she’d committed while under Chara’s control.

Damn it, she didn’t have time for a nervous breakdown. She had to relax. She had to get some sleep or the reporters were going to eat her alive tomorrow.

Echoes of insane laughter rang in her ears and every dark corner of her room reminded her of Chara’s inky black grin.

Swallowing hard against a sob that was trying to rend her throat apart, she sat up and turned on the lamp on her bedside table. She pulled up her legs, hugging them to her bare chest and rest the side of her head on her knees. 

This wasn’t working. She had to get her mind out of the past. She had to get herself to calm down. Maybe if she thought about something else-- something powerful enough to distract her, something to calm her nerves, something that she had forbidden herself from thinking about. Perhaps because she’d denied herself, the taboo of it would be enough to break the cycle of bloody memories playing in her mind.

Frisk took a few deep calming breaths and leaned back into the tangled blankets and pillows of her bed. She decided it would be best to simply leave the lamp on, feeling a bit foolish needing a night light, but if it kept the nightmares at bay, then so be it.

A hand found its way to her breast, expertly teasing and massaging the flesh there. Her other hand pressed downward over her stomach, along her hip, and finally came to rest over the soft mound of her sex.

From her mind she grabbed onto the memory of a bubbling baritone laugh and she began to gently stroke herself imagining it was him.

 

................................................................................

 

There was a black wallet with a purple daisy pattern stitched into it on his bathroom floor. Sans was fairly sure that it wasn’t his and that it wasn’t Pap’s and though he was relatively certain he did know who might own such a wallet, he flipped open the cloth billfold and found Frisk’s drivers license staring at him.

Sans’s teeth clacked together in annoyance. She’d probably need this, but it was an ungodly hour so he couldn’t call her to let her know that he had it because surely she’d be asleep by now. In a snap decision the light was sucked out of the room for a moment as he teleported to Frisk’s apartment. He figured he’d just drop off the thing on her couch, port back home, and she’d never be the wiser. Easy as pie.

An unmistakable breathy moan rang out through the ambassador’s apartment as soon as he arrived. A shock ran up his spine at the sound. Was there no sating the woman’s libido? Part of him was very tempted to stay a while and just listen. She was such a skilled vocalist when it came to the bedroom; it almost seemed a shame to miss a concert when one presented itself. 

Sans idly wondered if Asriel had snuck over to Frisk’s apartment after being dropped off or if it was someone he didn’t know making her sing out her pleasure. It wasn’t a very charitable thought, but he was too tired to be charitable just then. Sleep had not been forthcoming to him that evening and his mood had not been improved by fatigue. 

Sans unceremoniously dropped the wallet onto the floor and was about to port back home when a strange thing happened.

Amidst the lustful keening and moans, the skeleton heard his name. No, that couldn’t be right. He had to be mistaken. Yet, there it was again, his name falling from her lips among heady calls of ecstasy. 

Curious, he fallowed the sound down a hallway and to a slightly open door. The room beyond the door was lit so, from his shadowed perch, the contents of the room was laid bare to him. Frisk was, in fact, alone, lying on her back upon the rumpled blankets and sheets of her bed, not a stich of clothing to hide her body. Her back arched beautifully as another shuddering sigh of pleasure was pulled from her throat, her eyes tightly shut. Sans let his gaze roam her body pausing a while on the hand that teased and pinched at her breast, noting with rapt interest how those indelicate movements hardened her nipples and puckered the dark areolas in a most wonderful manner. His eyes fell over her heaving chest, along the soft plushness of her stomach, and became enraptured by the lustful needy thrust of her hips as they pushed into her hand. Three of her fingers plunged into her own folds at a hypnotic, metered pace and whose skillful movements became apparent by the heady calls of pleasure they pulled from the woman. Calls of pleasure punctuated by his name.

 

..............................................................................

 

Frisk was lost in the depths of her fantasy. She’d lain herself open and vulnerable before one of the most gifted monsters she knew and had been rewarded by his undivided attention. 

“You like that, sweetheart?” Sans purred pumping his hips at a deliciously lazy pace as the hand that wasn’t holding him up played idly with her breast.

“Oh fuck yes,” she said breathily. “Please, Sans –ah—I’m so close.”

A heavy chuckle reverberated from the monster above her, though he did not alter his work. “Does it feel good? Is this what you want?”

Her voice shuddering she murmured, “Sans, please-“

“You know what you deserve?”

A sudden chill cut down the length of her spine. She looked into his eyes and found them black and hallow before a cyan and gold magic erupted from his left eye socket.

“You deserve to suffer you goddamn murdering whore!”

Spears of bone pierced her chest, her fantasy overridden by memory and a drowning guilt.

Gasping in fright, Frisk hastily removed her fingers from the folds of her sex and wept.

“Damn it,” she hissed, resting her forearm on her forehead, her slickness making her fingers shine in the yellow lamplight. She pressed her thighs together as her body protested against her failure to release, a dull ach that made her bite her lip and huff in pain. “Guess I’m not getting any sleep tonight.” 

She began wiping the tears from her face with her clean hand when the sound of an unexpected baritone made her jump. 

“Doesn’t seem like that ended very well,” Sans rumbled from her bedroom door.

Frisk’s eyes snapped to the sound of the voice as she scrambled to sit up and cover herself with a sheet. She found the back of a hoodie clad skeleton leaning just outsider her door and a white hot fear and embarrassment engulfed her.

“What are you doing here?” she demanded.

“You left your wallet in my bathroom,” Sans replied, still turned away from her. “I was going to just pop in, drop it off, and leave, but then I heard you calling me so I thought I’d see what you needed.” His shoulders shook as he chuckled, “Imagine my surprise to find you like this.”

A flush that burned more than just her face overtook the woman. “I was- it’s not- I...” she stammered before sagging in resignation. “Oh whatever. This day just keeps getting better doesn’t it. Yuck it up. I’m sure there’s a ‘frisky’ or ‘bonely’ joke in there somewhere so have at it. I don’t even care.”

She dropped the sheet from her body miserably and rolled off the bed to go to her dresser and find some fresh cloths to put on.

“Several actually,” Sans mussed before he heard the sound of her opening and closing drawers. “What are you doing?”

“Getting dressed. If I can’t relax enough to get some sleep then I might as well do something useful,” She said slipping on a pair of plain silk panties. The fabric slid wonderfully against her skin and she was glad to indulge in the minor luxury of it.

“That was you trying to relax?”

“Yes, and get my mind off of,” she paused, unwilling to be specific, “everything.”

“Hm,” Sans murmured, “so you decided to imagine... us to relax,” his voice was light with amusement.

Frisk snorted in annoyance as she snapped on a simple black bra. “Orgasm is relaxing for me,” she said, too warn out to be anything but blunt. “I was banking on the idea that I don’t let myself think about you, so I’d hoped it would be taboo enough to break the cycle of thoughts running through my head and keeping me awake.” She selected a pair of ultra-fuzzy, plush, silky soft, socks with pictures of kittens playing with yarn on them. Tonight was all about comfort because tomorrow was really going to suck. She sighed, “Obviously not even my subconscious believes you don’t wish you’d never met me and worse.”

“I told you, I don’t hate you. I-“

“Don’t give me that line. Papyrus isn’t here so you don’t have to lie.” More tears. God she was sick of tears. Why wouldn’t they just stop? So fucking useless!

“I’m not lying,” a thread of anger had entered his voice and Frisk grabbed on to it as further proof of her own assertions.

“Sure right, so you keep bringing up what happened back in the underground nearly every time I see you because, what, you’re totally okay with me.”

“I don’t bring it up,” he paused guiltily, “that often. And the reason I do at all is because I want to know the whole truth about what happened, but every time I tried to bring it up with you directly, you freak out or run away.”

“Geez, sorry I haven’t been more forthcoming about the time I was mind raped into murdering the people I love!” Yanking a black blouse out of her closet, she broke the hanger it was on with the force of her movement. She swore, picking up the broken hanger and turned to throw it away but found Sans standing in her path.

“I’m sorry,” he said, the intensity of his gaze making her take a step back. “I shouldn’t have pushed you. I was just so anxious about what had happened, I wanted to know for sure it would never happen again.”

“Hasn’t time proven that it’s not,” she said wiping the tears from her face again, frustration at her body’s perpetual state of grief making her movements sharp. “Because that’s the best proof I can give you. I don’t know what you think I could possibly say that would make you believe me more. If I knew, I would have said it years ago. The rest of what I have to tell you only details the suffering I caused while Chara pulled my strings. Not stuff that’s really going to make you trust me more.”

A pained expression crossed his face but he took a step forward. “Then I’m sorry I didn’t make it clear that I do trust you. It’s just that thing that used you – you were so different when Chara controlled you. You moved like an automaton without a will of your own. I guess that makes a kind of sense though. But after you freed us the last time, your will had returned. I just didn’t want to stay mad about what had happened before and I thought if I could understand what it was that had possessed you, I wouldn’t be so afraid of it. Especially...” he paused and ran a nervous hand over the back of his skull as he searched for what he wanted to say. “In the hall outside the throne room where I stopped you, when you were under Chara’s control, you flirted with me, or I guess this Chara whoever did for some reason, and that always really bothered me. It left something ugly on my soul.”

Frisk felt dizzy with the whiplash this conversation was giving her. “Chara wanted you disgusted and angry with me so that when everything was over, you’d either kill me or never speak to me again. He didn’t much care which. He thought coming on to you while I was covered in the dust of everyone you cared about would do the trick.”

“Huh, not a bad plan,” Sans muttered. “Guess he didn’t count on my little crush though.”

Frisk blinked, “You had a crush on me?”

“Using the wrong tense there, but yeah.”

Frisk found herself blushing but narrowed eyes at the skeleton, “I always suspected deep down you were a dirty old man -- crushing on a seventeen year old girl, scandalous!”

Sans floundered, “Hey, I never did anything! I just recognized and admired your determination. It was totally platonic at the time! And I – I just – it was-“ 

Frisk began to giggle, which felt really incredibly good after so much misery. Sans really was always good for a laugh. 

Sans gave Frisk a flat look, “You’re messing with me.”

“Of course I’m messing with you! You think I, of all people, give a damn. Man, I remember running though the underground a hormonal ball of crazy. I was just lucky everyone was either too sweet or too innocent to let me really embarrass myself. I mean, hell, I flirted with Toriel, who I to this day call mom! No one was safe.”

Sans tried very hard not to think of the exception to her statement.

“So you really didn’t hate me?” Frisk asked setting the broken hanger down on her dresser.

“I really didn’t and still don’t hate you,” Sans assured.

“Well damn, I totally should have done it then.”

Sans blinked, “Done what?”

“Before I’d figured you hated my guts and only let me live because you had a punny thing for my mom, I was working on a masterpiece of flirtation.”

“You...uh... you were?”

Frisk nodded as she slipped her arms into the sleeves of her blouse like pulling on a jacket, “Oh yeah. You know how much I love to flirt. You don’t think I wasn’t just absolutely rabid at the discovery of a guy I liked who absolutely loved puns. PUNS! I’d spent hours stringing together a series of truly awful flirtatious jokes to unleash in what was to be the crowning jewel of salacious innuendo.” She shook her head as she began to button her blouse from the bottom up.

“R-really?” Sans stammered minimally a blush coloring his cheekbones, “Well, let’s hear it then.”

Frisk smirked but didn’t look up from a button that had tangled itself in a loose thread that she was fighting with, “Oh no, it wouldn’t work without my props.”

“There were going to be props?”

“Oh yes, there were going to be props and sight gags and I’d been toying with the idea of getting a cream pie and dying it blue with food dye depending on how raunchy I finally decided to get.” She chuckled, “Sorry, I don’t mean to weird you out. You had a platonic crush, right? So I guess you were never really interested in me that way, but you know that’s just where my mind goes when I like someone. Sex has never been a big deal for me. But hey, I’m just glad you don’t hate-“

Bony hands grabbed Frisk and pulled her close. When her lips touched his teeth they automatically parted as she had learned to do when kissing a skeleton and a thick, warm blue tongue filled her mouth, finding a dance partner there with which to twirl and taste. She found her own hands wrapping around Sans and gripping onto the fabric of his jacket, suddenly feeling that she’d fall to the floor if she let go – the sensation of his hands on her, the feel of his magic inside of her – it stole her strength and all she could think was that she wanted more.

A heavy rumbling growl accompanied Sans’s tightening grip on her as his heat set his marrow to boil. Frisk pulled away from their kiss with a gasping lusty whimper, “Sans!”

Hearing his name, just that alone while he drew his teeth along her neck and held her warm body against his own, it nearly did him in right then and there. He tore open her blouse, the few buttons she’d managed to fasten snapping off and bouncing into the corners of her room. The need to feel more of her, all of her, it was maddening.

While some part of the ambassador was nothing but pleased by his enthusiasm, the rational part of her brain lamented the destruction of one of her favorite shirts. Since it was awake anyway, that rational brain decided to remind her of a few other pressing thoughts that her hormones were desperately trying to suppress.

Sans picked up the lithe woman and began walking her back to the bed, his intentions abundantly clear.

“S-Sans, hold on,” Frisk said pushing against his shoulders. “We need to think about this.”

The stout skeleton chuckled as he sat her down on the edge of the bed, “Sure. I was thinking I’d tear off the rest of your cloths with my teeth and we’d sort of figure things out from there.” He paused to look down her body. “Except the socks. You can keep those. They are awfully cute.”

“Thank you b-“ She had to press a hand back against his sternum to keep him from closing the distance between them again. “I’m serious, just pause a moment.”

A fragile worry bloomed across his face, “Why? Do you... you don’t want to?”

She smiled and put a hand against his face, palming the side of his ever present smile, “Believe me, all I want to do right now is to wrap myself around you, swallow you down, and fill myself with everything you can give me.”

A brightness filled his eyelights, “Sounds good to me.”

He tried to press forward again but her hand gently held him back.

“But,” she began, visibly struggling to keep her wits about her, “you haven’t heard the whole story about what happened under the mountain. I hope it doesn’t change how you feel, but it might. Even more pressing, you know I don’t do monogamy and I’m not going to change. Besides that, after what happened with Asriel, if you wanted to pursue anything with me, I’d have to let them know our relationship was changing.”

That got his attention, “Let who know?”

“Asriel and Papyrus.”

Sans frowned, as much as he could frown anyway. When she said it so plainly, it did make him hesitate. Could he really bring himself to see the same woman as Papyrus? 

“Wait, that’s it? So before Pap you were exclusively seeing Asriel?” Sans asked curiously.

“Lovers have come and gone. Asriel is the only one who seemed determined to stick around and the only one I was actively seeing when I started with Papyrus. I don’t really have a lot of time for the romantic stuff so mostly folk get tired of me blowing them off for work at some point and wander off to someone more attentive. I know Asriel is currently seeing Muffet and Doggo and I’m fairly certain that’s all right now. If you like, I can give you a list of everyone I’ve had relations with in the past, thought I find the prospect of the task a little depressing.”

“No, not necessary,” he said nuzzling into the hand at the side of his head and trying very hard not to laugh at the idea of the Prince of all Monsters and Doggo in a tender embrace. It was just too good. “Okay, yeah, you’re right. I do want to consider this, whatever this might be, and I guess I should hear your whole story first. So... so okay, we’ll... we’ll wait?”

He did not want to wait. His entire being was screaming at him to simply devour the woman that sat, still slightly panting, in front of him. With a self-restraint Sans hadn’t been aware he had, he stood up and moved slightly away from her.

Frisk nodded and stood as well, “Agreed. After I’ve finished cleaning up the proposal mess, I’ll come and find you and Papyrus and we can have it out about what happened under the mountain. If you still want,” she paused, a blush stealing some of the blood from her brain, “um... me after that and if you can stand the idea of sharing, then we can move on from there.”

Sans nodded. It was a good plan. It gave everyone time to cool down and really think about what they wanted. It was the smart thing to do.

“Just one more thing,” he said before grabbing her again and pulling her into an exceptionally deep kiss.

She absolutely melted into his embrace and struggled valiantly to keep up with the hungry movements of his tongue. His hand roughly gripped her ass pushing her into the warmth that had gathered at his pelvis and causing her to arch back and call out his name with a breathy moan.

It was then that Frisk realized that Sans was holding up his phone by her head with an audio recording application on.

She glared at the monster as he released her and decisively hit a number of buttons on his phone.

“Guess I’ve got a new favorite ring tone,” he chuckled.

“You sneak!” she squeaked, red faced but unable to keep the smile out of her voice.

“Yep,” he said putting away his phone. “You need to get to sleep. Tomorrow is going to be busy. You’ll need your strength.”

Frisk sat back down on her bed, “There are a few things I want to get done first.”

“Then bed?”

“Yes, then bed,” she assured.

“Alright, see you around, kitten,” he said as he nudged his foot at her fuzzy kitten socks. The light was sucked out of the room for a moment and then he was gone.

Frisk laughed and put her face in her hands, her cool fingers feeling wonderful against her fevered cheeks.

“Of course,” she murmured miserably. “Of course I would find out now, when it’s too late.”

Shaking off the subtle creeping grief that was trying to once again overtake her mind, she pushed herself off the bed and went to find some pants. She thought she might as well get a head start on packing before the world came crashing down around her ears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments help me become a better writer ^_^ Let me know what you guys think of the story so far.


	17. The Envy of Every Spider

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning: ooc Pap... because, um, he's really tired... yep, lets go with that. Mention of Frisk/Mettaton. Also sort of poly shaming I think. Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's the right warning.

When morning arrived and the expected knock on his front door finally came, Papyrus nearly sprinted to answer it. Yes, he had said that he’d wait for Frisk to talk about what had happened under the mountain in her own time. However, that in no way precluded him from hoping that time would be sooner rather than later.

The already strained and forced grin he’d stretched his bones into fell abruptly when he discovered who had come calling.

“Hey-ya dweeb, nice shirt,” Undyne said with her signature sharp toothed grin, a hand on the shoulder of her yellow scaled girlfriend.

Papyrus looked down noting with a frown that he was still wearing the “Pastafarian” t-shirt he’d had on the night before. He’d been too agitated to sleep that night so he hadn’t bothered to change into his pajamas and when daylight came he’d been too preoccupied with worry to think about putting on fresh clothing. 

“Oh, ah, thank you,” Papyrus looked at the couple curiously. “What brings you here, not that it isn’t wonderful to see you but...”

“Oh, d-d-didn’t Frisk call and tell you?” Alphys said, clutching at a little white satchel in her claws. “She called me and asked me to come help you with your oil treatment. She’s kind of got her hands full dealing with...um... everything.”

Undyne chuckled, “I just wanted to check in on the last standing member of the royal guard. You look like you’re do’en good!”

Papyrus tried to smile politely and stepped aside letting the two monsters in, “Thanks. The oil has really been helping, I think.”

“Oh, yes,” Alphys chirped. “The c-c-cracks look much smaller than they did the last time I saw you. I think you’re healing nicely.”

“Hey, Sans, didn’t think you’d be up this early,” Undyne said, addressing the confused skeleton who was just descending the staircase as she and Alphys came into the living room.

“Uh, yeah, thought I’d mix things up a little today,” the stout skeleton rumbled before throwing a questioning look at his brother who was bringing up the rear of the little group.

“Frisk isn’t coming today,” Papyrus said trying very hard to make the comment sound off handed, which he was by in large successful with considering the elephant sized worry he was currently being crushed beneath. 

“Huh,” was his noncommittal response as he wandered into the kitchen to start the coffee maker.

“Frisk actually had a r-r-really good idea about the oil treatment,” Alphys said as she snapped open her satchel and pulled out a little cardboard box of non-latex gloves. “She said she’d noticed that your cloths fit you like y-you’re not just bone, but skin and muscle too so sh-sh-she thought maybe if you wore gloves, you’d be able to do the treatment yourself.”

Pap’s brow furrowed as he accepted the box, “Oh, I suppose that is a good idea.”

“Worth trying anyway,” Undyne said as she pulled out a seat at the kitchen table. “Not like Frisk is going to be able to do it anymore. But hey, if it doesn’t work then I can always help you out.”

Papyrus had just finished slipping on one of the gloves, the fingers filling out readily as though his phalanges were covered in tendons and flesh. “Why won’t she be able to?”

“You haven’t-“ Undyne threw an uneasy look at Sans. “I just assumed since your bro saved Asriel from making such a huge mistake that you knew.”

“What are you talking about?” Papyrus demanded.

“Poor Asriel,” Alphys sighed as she got down the Styrofoam box of medicinal oil she’d found on the bookshelf. “I knew Frisk was a flirt, but I didn’t think she’d go behind Asriel’s back like that.”

“And that video!” Undyne actually blushed, “Not that I watched it or anything. Maybe accidentally - the first couple of seconds before I realized what it was. Can’t believe people are posting it on Undernet like it’s a damn cat video. The humans are livid that one of their own was caught behaving like that. They keep apologizing for her behavior.”

“What video?” this from Sans, his brow deeply furrowed. 

“The...erm... sex tape,” Alphys murmured. “It’s got to be from a few years ago because it was from when Frisk was growing out her h-hair, but still. They always tried to be discreet about it, but almost everyone knows that Asriel and her have been seeing each other for, well, ever and it’s just... I mean I can’t really be m-m-mad at Mettaton because that’s just who he is but-“

“Wait, you’re telling me there’s a sex tape with Frisk and Mettaton just floating around out there all of the sudden?” Sans rumbled.

“Yeah, I can’t believe that tin can recorded something like that. But he records everything I guess,” Undyne huffed. “I guess the Queen caught wind of it pretty quick because Frisk already stepped down as ambassador. Monster Kid – I mean Rex, was just named the new ‘voice of the monsters’. Little spaz was so excited he called me and was screaming his head off about it first thing this morning. He’s a dork, but he’s a dork with a lot of heart. I think he’ll do fine.”

“Frisk resigned!” Papyrus leaned heavily against the back of the couch.

“Well, yeah, not like she had much of a choice though,” Undyne said, picking at her fangs. “I mean I can’t even imagine how mad the king and queen must be -- betraying Asriel like that. Word is, Frisk is being sent off to New Home 4 where they’re just starting to build an infrastructure of Monster/Human housing developments. Not sure exactly what she’ll be doing there but, you know, I wish her luck. “

“I was a-a-actually thinking that maybe we could get together and have a little party for her. Invite the old gang. I mean, she’s still Frisk, despite everything. A few bad choices doesn’t change all the good she’s done,” Alphys said, adjusting her glasses nervously. “It’s the least we could do.”

“Yeah,” Sans rumbled, eyelights dim in his skull, “the very absolute least.”

“Hey man, what’s your problem?” Undyne demanded, taking umbrage with Sans’s tone toward her lady friend. 

“My problem,” Sans seethed, “is that you’re talking about the woman who single handedly freed all of us from the mountain, who has done everything in her power since the day we escaped to make our lives better, to help us thrive up here in a place where we are vastly outnumbered by humans a lot stronger than us and who generally mistrust us. She has been our ally for years, and when it comes to light that her sexual proclivities turn out to be a little outside the norm – which, with the possible exception of Papyrus until recently, everyone knew about but just didn’t talk about and didn’t have a problem with until it made the other humans unhappy – when that happens, all of the sudden you’re just like ‘Bu-bye, don’t let the door hit you on the way out.’ That is my problem.”

Papyrus smiled at his brother, a genuine grin only partially dimmed by lack of sleep. Hearing some of the same arguments he’d made to the stout skeleton not so long ago being taken up in earnest by Sans made him hopeful that others could be swayed by reason.

“B-b-but Frisk-“Alphys stammered.

“Do you really think Asriel didn’t know Frisk was seeing other monsters? Do you really think he had a problem with it, because the way I heard it-“

“Sans,” Papyrus hissed, a dark expression had fallen over his visage, his seemingly boundless reserves of energy, apparently tapped. “Go and make sure Frisk is alright. I’ll finish up with my oil treatment and will be done by the time you return.”

“You don’t want to come with?” Sans asked, concern softening the tone of his voice.

“It seems clear to me that Frisk has been very busy pulling a great many strings and talking to numerous people, and though some of those conversations were about me, they were not with me, so I’ve concluded that she doesn’t wish to speak just yet. That is fine. When she’s ready, I will be here. Until then, I would very much appreciate it if you made sure she hasn’t hung herself while trying to weave this complicated web of hers.” Papyrus retrieved the Styrofoam box from Alphys who stared open mouthed at him as he sat down on the couch.

The little yellow monster shook herself from her stupor at Papyrus’s very unusual demeanor and asked, “Web? What do you mean?”

Papyrus released a long suffering sigh, though didn’t bother to look back at the two visitors to his home, “It has only been, at most, half a day since the events at the Italian consulate. Do you really believe that in such a short amount of time, all of this – the tape, Frisk’s resignation, the immediate selection of a replacement, and her re-assignment to a place half-way across the planet – do you really think that all suddenly happened at just the right time so that Frisk was left to carry the burden of the human’s disgust while shifting attention away from anything the Prince might have engaged in. Even I can see what Frisk has done and I’m the last to know about everything, apparently.” An aggravated grumble escaped the lanky skeleton and he added, “Sans, I can see you vibrating trying not to make a ‘Frisk made herself Asriel’s scapegoat’ joke. So there, that was the joke. Now go.”

“Thanks bro, you’re the coolest.” The light was sucked out of the space around Sans and then he was gone.

“You two are also welcome to leave. I believe I can manage on my own. Thank you for stopping by,” Papyrus said removing the medicinal oil from the Styrofoam box.

The two women didn’t say a word as they left the skeleton brother’s home, a shamed sorrow falling over them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I owe Alphys and Undyne a fic where they aren't behaving like asses because the plot called for it. Bleh.


	18. The Greater Good and Other Fairytales

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The only warning is that there is a lot of dialogue and rather unnecessary titbits of things that I guess I might have been able to cut, but decided to leave in because I thought it was kind of neat.
> 
> Also, don't record you and your partner having sex without their permission first! I'm going on the idea that Mettaton's robot body just records everything he sees anyway so he can't really help it... though he could have deleted it, and he most certainly should have told Frisk about it first. Jerk.

Upon reaching Frisk’s apartment, Sans’s hearing was once again assaulted, though not nearly as pleasantly as his last visit.

“This is entirely unacceptable!” Toriel was shouting at Frisk’s back as the brunet took books down from her shelf and placed them in a box. “Nothing has even happened yet! Nothing would have happened! You can’t just throw everything away because of how people might react. You don’t even know for certain!”

“I know,” Frisk said wearily. “This is the safest course of action if you want the monster rights movement to keep moving forward.”

There were a lot of boxes around the room. Some stacked and taped shut, their contents scrawled in sharpie on their sides, and some were flat, scattered around the room waiting to be put together and filled. Sans found Asgore sitting on the couch, pensively squaring and flattening one of the unused boxes looking as though he didn’t know what to do with himself. No one seemed to have noticed that Sans had suddenly appeared in the corner of the room, so for a while he decided to just watch.

“How is this safe?” Toriel barked throwing her hands up dramatically. “How is putting a big blaring target on your back in the remotest definition of the word safe?”

“Because it keeps the target off of Asriel.” Frisk shook her head and sighed, “Really mom, what else would you have me do?”

“You could have waited to see how well Asriel’s little farce goes on that awful morning show,” Toriel immediately supplied.

“No one is going to believe it.” 

Frisk’s phone buzzed as she received a text. She paused to answer it while Toriel continued ranting. 

“Then why have him spout this nonsense about a token of chivalry or whatever you’re calling it?”

Frisk finished her text, closed up the box she’d been packing and scrawled her chicken scratch on it in sharpie. “The point is that it looks like he’s simply trying to save face from almost trying to wed a promiscuous woman, without being crass about it. This way, he’s trying to be discreet and is maybe heartbroken in a sympathetic sort of way, and not at all like he’s someone who would condone or participate in such things.” Frisk sighed as she picked up and squared a new box, “The general public is having trouble with simple male/female binary monster/human couples. Do you think they’re going to react well to the actual arrangement Asriel and I had. No, this is how it has to be. Hopefully the animosity will leave with me and it’ll be seen as the Monster Consulate simply cleaning house.”

Frisk’s phone rang. She picked it up from the floor and answered, forcing energy into her voice as she spoke, “Hello? ... ... Rex.... Rex, calm down. Take a deep breath.... that’s it.... Now, Rex, you see that nice blond lady at the desk in front of your office? .... Yeah, her name is Wendy Cartwright and she’s your secretary.... I know you didn’t. I hired her for you.” Frisk let out an aggravated breath, “You’re the new liaison between the humans and monsters. You’re going to have to talk to a lot of humans so you might as well get used to it.... Oh, well, just be respectful.... Listen, she’s very smart and is there to help. If you can’t find a form you’re looking for, she’ll know where it is, where to send it, and make sure it’s filled out correctly. Don’t send out anything that she hasn’t check first for the first couple of weeks.... Yeah.... Well she’s probably looking at you funny because she can hear you. The office isn’t soundproof and the frosted glass door is more decorative than functional.... Yeah, you probably should.... Oh, wait, I wanted to tell you, you should make friends with Jerry down in Legal.... I know he’s an ass, but he’s an ass that knows his way around legal jargon.... I’m not saying have drinks with the guy. Just tell him he’s doing a good job every now and again. He’ll complain like crazy about everything under the sun, but grin and bear it because he’s an asset.... If you find someone better, by all means, ditch him.... You’re doing fine. Call me if you need anything that Ms. Cartwright can’t answer for you. Bye.” She put the phone down and continued packing.

“You didn’t have to let that robot put that awful video up for the world to see. You could have stayed hidden!” Toriel insisted.

“Awful,” Frisk chuckled. “Mettaton has been dying to post that thing since the jerk made it without telling me. He was quite complimentary about it. Said it was sure to boost his popularity. He actually squealed when I told him he could upload it.” Frisk took down a plaque that had a bronze olive branch stuck to it and began wrapping it in newspaper, “Anyway, if I hadn’t given the media something so juicy then they would have dug into our lives until they found something else to chew on. Asriel went and made us the most visible monster/human couple alive by proposing the way he did. With legislation on human/monster marriages so close, do you really think the press would have hesitated for a moment to tear into our personal lives until they found something salacious about us. Now they have something, they don’t have to look, hopefully they won’t bother if Asriel is able to play the kicked puppy angle well enough.” 

“You don’t know that they would have been able to find anything if you hadn’t helped them!” A pleading tone had dulled the edge of the goat monster’s anger, “You could have... you could have just gotten married and it might have been fine.”

Frisk halted her work, “I really hope you didn’t encourage Asriel to propose.”

“He loves you,” Toriel said softly, “and I know you love him too. Why couldn’t you just let yourself be happy with him?”

“Oh mom,” Frisk said pushing her hand into the dull ach that was beginning to grow behind her right eye. “I know you mean well, but really, did you think this was going to end in a fairytale? Even without all the political stuff, getting married isn’t something that I want. And Asriel -- I mean hell, we’re going to be lucky if the worst Asriel has to put up with is incest jokes for the next three years.”

“But you’re adopted,” Toriel said dully.

“Yes, but it still seems scandalous, enough to put a sower flavor in people’s minds, enough to sway a vote away from us if the relationship continued publicly. Just another example of why it was a bad idea.”

The goat woman snorted, “That’s all beside the point. So you don’t want to get married, fine. So you won’t be our ambassador anymore, I don’t like it, but okay. But you’re not leaving! That’s the end of it. I don’t care what people think. They’re wrong. You’re wonderful and if they can’t see that, then to... to hell with them.”

“You will care,” Frisk said, not accusatorially, just like she was telling her mother what the weather was forecasted to be. “When it starts affecting votes, when it starts making humans look at you in that ugly judgmental way, when they start deciding the entire race is just something they can write off again – pigeon holed into one nasty vicious category. You will care. That’s what will happen if the Monster Consulate doesn’t in some way disavow me. Guilt by association. The plan doesn’t work unless I’m evicted. Me disappearing for a while is the best way to ensure that they forget about it as quickly as possible, before anyone thinks to ask any unfortunate questions.”

“And what about you?” 

Her phone buzzed with another text and she answered it as she shrugged, “I’ve been there before. I can manage again as long as I know you guys are okay.” 

“Frisk...” a sorrowful note had entered the queen’s voice and the mantle of her royal robes seemed to sit heavily upon her shoulders.

The blue eyed woman put her phone back down and kept wrapping her belongings, steadily packing up her possessions until she came to a decorative clock, “Geez, is that really the time?” She got out her cell phone and began dialing. 

“Who are you-“

Toriel’s question was cut off by the recorded sound of Frisk moaning San’s name. All eyes turned to the skeleton in the corner of the room who was franticly trying to turn off his phone.

Sans looked up nervously, “Guess that wasn’t the best idea I’ve ever had.”

Frisk gave Sans a look that almost seemed to say, “Why are so many of the men in my life suddenly idiots?”

“You!” Toriel seethed, “Get out! Haven’t you caused enough damage?”

“Mom, stop it. None of this is remotely Sans’s fault and you know it,” Frisk said getting up to move a box to a pile she was making by the door.

Asgore, who had been quiet up until then, suddenly got to his feet and went over to Frisk, “Here, um, if you insist on packing then at least let me help. It looks heavy.”

Toriel shot her husband a death glare but Asgore ignored it as he took the box from Frisk and placed it with the others, then silently retrieved the other boxes and moved them to the pile by the door as well. Frisk narrowed eyes at her adopted father and looked as though she were about to say something, but thought better of it, instead turning to Sans.

“I take it Alphys and Undyne already made a visit this morning,” Frisk said as she squared another box and went over to another bookshelf to pack more belongings. 

“Yeah,” Sans said eyeing Toriel nervously as he stuffed his hands in his hoodie pockets. “Pap’d already stayed up the whole night worrying about you and then when he got the news you quit and were running away, well, he wanted me to make sure you were okay, since you of all people don’t ever quit.”

“I’m not quitting.” Frisk’s phone buzzed with a text message and she paused momentarily to answer it. 

“Really? Could have fooled me,” Sans said taking a seat on her couch.

She snorted in frustration as she put her phone back down, “This is the best move. The humans will-“

“You think if you leave it’ll be better for us? Not just the people who care about you-- who will be devastated by the way-- but the monster race as a whole. You think things will be better if suddenly you’re gone? You, the one who kind of holds the whole show together, who everyone looks to for answers, who works tirelessly to get everything done.” Sans shook his head, “Pretty *boneheaded* move if you ask me.”

“Rex is going to do fine,” Frisk said as her phone buzzed again. “We’d been talking about him eventually taking over anyway.” She deftly typed in a response to another text message. “Doesn’t make sense for the monster ambassador to be human after all.”

“You know very well that you’ve acted as more than just an ambassador to us,” said Toriel, picking up on Sans’s line of reasoning, grasping at it powerfully with both paws. “You’ve dawned so many hats, I don’t think any one person could ever hope to do all that you have. If you leave-“

“The new unpaid interns will be starting soon,” Frisk said as she carefully wrapped a glass picture frame of her family. “It was actually Papyrus’s idea. He was worried about me working so hard and suggested I find some to help lighten my workload. I’m sure they’ll work just fine for Rex and help him deal with everything that needs to get done.”

Toriel grumbled and Sans could feel her scalding glare on the back of his neck.

Frisk’s phone rang and she answered it, “Hello?.... No, Rex is not flirting with you.... Don’t file a sexual harassment lawsuit.... Stop calling him Monster Kid.... ... ...I swear to god, Jerry, if I find out you are in any way trying to sabotage Rex, I will hire someone to fallow you around with a signal scrambler and make sure you’re never able to access the internet again!... Try me.... Yeah, well, same to you bucko.” She hung up the phone and looked up, painting a strained smile on her face. “I want coffee. Does anyone else want coffee?”

“I’ll get it,” Asgore volunteered.

“You really don’t have to-“

“I insist,” the King stated, already marching purposefully to the kitchen. “You should take a brake anyway. Relax a minute.” 

Frisk frowned and called over her shoulder, “Fine, then, I’ll take mine with a shot of Jamison. You can find it above the stove.”

There was a loud clang in the kitchen, but the King said nothing about Frisk’s request.

“He’s just trying to help the only way he knows how,” Toriel murmured.

“I know exactly what he’s doing and I’ve told him before to knock it off,” Frisk said through gritted teeth.

Sans looked curiously between the two women, but didn’t ask what they were talking about, though made a mental note about it to be brought up later.

“Can we just take a moment to think about all of this?” Sans said. “You’re going at light speed here, bud, and I just don’t see what all the rush is about.”

“The sooner this is all dealt with and over, the sooner the media can move on to the next piece of gossip.” She pulled out what looked to be a cavity riddled tooth in a little decorated glass vial attached to a rosary that had been hiding behind some books. “That’s where this thing got to. Hey, Sans, catch.” Frisk chucked the item at the skeleton who caught it easily.

“What is it?” he asked eyeing the item dubiously.

“It’s a reliquary for a replica of one of Saint Nickolas’s teeth. I picked it up in a little parish last time I was in Turkey. The priest there blesses them and sells them to tourists,” she said as she packed up a number of books.

Sans looked a question at her, but Toriel was the one to answer. “It’s a ‘holy roller’s holey molar.’ She got one for me too.” 

Sans snickered, “Oh, thanks.”

“I found an angora scarf that I’ve been meaning to give to Papyrus around here somewhere. Maybe you can take it back to him.”

“You should take it to him yourself,” Sans said as Asgore returned with a tray of coffee mugs, “or did you not intended to see us again before you go?”

Frisk accepted a mug from her father with a murmured thank you and sipped at it, frowning at the distinct lack of booze and overabundance of cream and sugar. “Yeah, I-I’m still going to have that talk with you two. It’s on the list along with half a dozen other things.”

“What talk?” Toriel demanded as she took a cup of coffee from her husband.

“Don’t worry about it,” Frisk said as she set down her coffee mug and continued packing.

Toriel’s hackles rose at that, “Don’t you tell me not to worry! I am your mother. This is what mothers do. We worry. We worry that our children aren’t safe, that they aren’t happy, that they aren’t well, and we fuss and fret and do everything in our power to help our children!”

Frisk muttered under her breath absently, “Not all mothers.” 

The little brunet’s phone rang again and she answered it almost robotically, “Hello?.... Oh, yes I’ve been expecting.... Um, let me see if I can find it. Hold on.” Frisk gazed around the room and frowned at the little pile of boxes by the door which had grown considerably since Asgore had decided to help stack. She tucked the phone between her shoulder and her ear as she jogged over to the pile and began lifting boxes. “This is going to take a minute. I already packed the papers.”

Asgore was on his feet again immediately, “Tell me which box you’re looking for. I’ll find it.”

“That’s okay, dad, I can-“

“No, really, let me do it,” Asgore said trying to get between Frisk and the boxes.

“Dad, it’s fine, I just-“

“Would you just stop before you hurt yourself!” the King barked angrily.

Frisk blinked up at Asgore and said into her phone, “I’m going to have to call you back.” She hung up and pocketed the device looking up pensively at her adopted father who was visibly shaking now.

“You’re so reckless,” Asgore murmured. “You always throw yourself into harm’s way. Like when that madman attacked earlier this week. You didn’t have to fight him. There were many other strong monsters around who could have handled him just as well if not better, and you just-“ He took a deep shuddering breath though was still unable to meet her gaze, “I couldn’t even protect you when you were standing right in front of me. How can I hope to help if you’re half a world away?”

Frisk sighed, “I don’t need protecting. Everything’s going to be fine. I’m not so fragile that-“

“But you are fragile!” the mountain of white fur and teeth insisted, looming over the much smaller woman without even trying. 

Blue eyes flicked nervously to Sans for a moment, “I’m really not. You know I hate it when you try to do things for me like this. I’m a big girl. I can take care of myself.” 

Large, wobbly tears began to roll down the King’s cheeks and he sniffled. “Was that a joke? Big girl? Because you’re so tiny?”

Frisk took his paw, her hand and part of her forearm disappearing into the massive mitt, “It is now.”

Asgore pulled his daughter into a blubbering hug, nearly bending himself in two to embrace her.

“It’s going to be fine. Really, you don’t have to worry so much, but I’m happy to know that you care,” Frisk soothed patting what was mostly his side because her reach didn’t quite make it to his back.

“Of course we care,” this from Toriel who quickly moved in to join the hug. “You’re our daughter.”

Frisk chuckled, “I guess I was maybe a little worried that after everything that happened with Asriel-“

“Oh, my child, it is unfortunate that things couldn’t go as smoothly as I had hoped, but never doubt that we love you,” Toriel’s soft and sure voice touched Frisk’s heart and made her cheeks grow rosy with emotion. 

“I know. It’s just nice to hear it out loud.” Frisk pulled back from the hug and the two white furred monsters released her, though somewhat reluctantly, “Okay, so... so maybe Sans is right.”

“I am?” Sans said, still sitting on the couch, slightly embarrassed by the familial shows of affection going on.

“Yeah, I’m thinking maybe I should slow down just a bit. It seems like there’s a lot more that needs doing before I leave, if all of these messages I keep getting are any indication.” Her phone buzzed again as though it had heard her and was somehow offended. She looked down at the screen of her phone and decided to ignore the message. “I’ll cancel my flight and wait to reschedule until I’m sure everything will run relatively smoothly without me.” 

“You shouldn’t go at all,” Toriel’s stern voice rumbled.

Frisk took a breath, looking as though she were ready to start the argument all over again, but looking into her mother’s mournful face, the steam went out of her sails. “I can’t think of a way I’d be able to stay right now. But I’ll try again. Maybe I’ll have a brain wave.” 

Toriel beamed, “That’s all I ask.”

Frisk let Asgore get the box she needed from out of the pile and texted the pertinent information to the individual who had called before.

There was a sharp knock at the front door and a deep voice with an odd “dude/bro” accent boomed, “Guys- um, I mean majesties and such, there’s, like, a bunch of news vans pulling up. We need to boogie before it gets most un-righteous up in here.”

“Alright, we’ll be right there,” Toriel called though the door.

“Wow, I’m actually surprised it took them so long to get here,” Frisk said before squaring another box to fill.

“I thought you were going to stay a while yet,” Toriel said, her voice raised an octave in concern. 

“I am, but there’s no way I can stay at my currant address.”

“You should come live with us then,” Asgore said hopefully.

Frisk shook her head, “I couldn’t risk getting caught there. The royal family cannot be seen helping me. Oh and by the way, when you leave try to look angry and miserable, and no matter what the reporters say to you, don’t answer them. Just get to your car and go.”

“You could stay with Pap and me,” Sans offered.

Toriel narrowed eyes at the skeleton who did his best to ignore it.

“That might be a good idea actually. Could you teleport me there with a few of my things? The fewer clues to where I’ve gone the better.”

“Yeah, sure. Not a problem,” Sans said with a bounce in his smile.

“Alright then, we’ve got a plan,” Frisk smiled though it was short lived as her phone buzzed with another message. She answered it though looked annoyed while doing so. “Now remember you two,” she said addressing the king and queen, “no smiling. You are to look disappointed and upset and all of that.”

Asgore started to smirk but schooled his face quickly and nodded, “Got it. I’m so glad you’re staying a while longer though.”

Frisk nodded, “Be careful out there.”

The three of them exchanged one last hug before Asgore and Toriel left, hardening their faces into solemn masks as calls from nearby reporters began to assault them the moment they stepped out the door.

Sans squatted down on the floor in front of Frisk who had gone back to packing the moment the door was shut and locked. “You said you were going to go to sleep after I left last night.”

“I said I wanted to get a number of things done first.”

“Yeah- no. This can wait. Get that duffle bag of yours and let’s get out of here. You need a nap young lady.”

Frisk snorted, “I haven’t been a ‘young lady’ in a while now.”

“Heh, I think I still have a couple hundred years on you, kid.” 

Frisk frowned deeply at the revival of the old pet name. “I still have to-“

There was a loud bang on the door as a number of voices began to call her name, demanding answers, demanding an interview, demanding... a lot of things and not very politely.

“Okay, yeah, let’s go.” She said and got up to grab her duffle bag.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> maybe finally some more smut in the next chapter? Fingers crossed I don't let the plot distract me again. Man, what happened to my goofy little PWP? This story was supposed to end at chapter 3. Ack!
> 
> Why have I suddenly forgotten when to capitalize?! I feel like a grade-schooler again. You capitalize king and queen when it is used to replace a specific individual's name, but then sometimes I've read where it's not and then.... aaaaaagh! My brain no longer works. I need caffeine.


	19. Nap Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Sensitive Bones 
> 
> Soooo I wrote myself into a corner.... arg. Here’s hoping I can get myself out of this without too much nonsense.

When Sans and Frisk arrived at their destination, Papyrus was just emerging from the bathroom having just taken a shower, a clear plastic shower cap crumpled in his hand. He wore only a simple red t-shirt, blue shorts, and an expression that was fighting between shock and worry. 

“H-hi,” Frisk said nervously. “My apartment is kind of crawling with reporters right now so Sans said it’d be okay if I stayed here for a while to get some rest, if that’s okay with you. If it’s not I completely understand and... um...”

Papyrus had taken two large strides forward. He took Frisk’s duffle bag and slung it over his shoulder and then picked up Frisk carrying her bridal style and started walking toward his room, though not before Sans nicked Frisk’s cell phone from out of her hand.

“Hey, I need that!” she protested over Pap’s shoulder.

“Not for the next six hours you don’t. The world will not implode if you’re not holding it up. Sleep. I’ll deal with the rest,” Sans said with a mild chuckle in his voice.

“Thanks Sans,” Frisk called as Pap closed the door to his room.

After setting down his cargo, Pap went about the work of closing the blinds in his room, making it as dark as possible.

Frisk fidgeted as she sat nervously at the edge of his bed. “Are you-“ She paused, licked her lips finding them dry and tried again. “Did you want to talk? I mean, a lot has happened. I’m sure you’ve got plenty of questions.”

Papyrus sat down in front of Frisk and began untying the laces of her shoes. “I do.”

“So, let’s have it. What do you want to-“

“Do you want to talk?” Papyrus asked, slipping off the first of her black tennis shoes. 

The muscles in her shoulders tightened, “I – listen, I feel like I’ve put you through a lot recently and I just-“

“Do YOU want to talk?” he interrupted her as he set to work on the remaining shoe. “Because I, for one, would very much like to get some sleep. I have no questions so pressing that I would delay rest to find answers to them.”

Frisk was unnerved as hell by Pap’s unusual manner and the lanky skeleton read it on her face. He sighed as he removed her last shoe and set it aside. “Forgive me. I’m being selfish. I’ve just been so worried about you, but now you’re here and as long as you’re here, I know you’re not somewhere damaging yourself because you think it might possibly forward some greater monster agenda you seem forever set upon.” He straightened and forced a smile onto his bones, piping energy he really couldn’t spare into his voice, “Yes, truly, if you wish to talk, then let us talk. I, the Great Papyrus, am an excellent listener and, as your friend, will aid you in whatever way I can!”

With a small pathetic noise, Frisk launched herself at Papyrus, wrapping him in a fierce embrace. After a short startled pause, the lanky skeleton returned the embrace heartily.

“Sleep sounds good,” Frisk murmured through her weariness. 

He stood with the slightly trembling woman in his arms before depositing her back into his bed and crawling in after her. She held onto him like he was the last solid thing in the universe and he was happy to return the gesture as they both drifted off to sleep.

 

...........................................................

 

“Listen, friend, I’m just saying I know Frisk is out of a job now, and with skills like hers, she could stand to make a lot of money in the adult film industry,” the too breathy voice crooned over the phone.

“One,” Sans began, ice in his voice, “I am NOT your friend. Two, I don’t know how you got this number, but if you ever call here again, I will hunt you down and erase even the concept of you from existence. Capeesh?”

“Oh, you one of her big bad monster boy toys?” the voice asked in a sing song kind of way. “Man, the industry is just dying to get more of your crazy monster ecto dicks committed to film. If you both sign on, we could make bank!”

Sans hissed some unintelligible profanity into the receiver before turning the damn thing off and chucking it into the far end of the couch he was sitting on. 

For the first few hours, while he was moving a few of Frisk’s essentials from her apartment to his house, he’d been fielding calls from anxious monsters who needed reassurance about the new ambassador, calls from people who had meetings on the books with the former ambassador who weren’t sure what kind of loyalty they should show so were hedging their bets, and other political business type stuff. However, somehow the general public seemed to have gotten a hold of Frisk’s personal number and the amount of base and insulting callers had become too much for him to bear. Frisk would be getting up in another hour or so. She could decide what to do with her tainted phone.

Figuring it was high time he got too unwind, Sans turned on the television, setting the volume to mute before searching for his favorite news station. He stopped when he saw Asriel’s startled looking mug on the screen. Someone had shoved a smart phone under his nose and was saying something to him but the closed captioning hadn’t caught up with the channel he was on yet. By the time it started working, Asriel was saying “This interview is over.” and throwing down his clip on mike before storming off the set. The scene cut away to a news anchor who was saying that the event had occurred during Asriel’s interview on a morning television show.

“Thaaaaat’s probably not good,” Sans said and idly he wondered how long it would take for the Prince of all Monsters to get back to Pap and his house and throw another royal tantrum about whatever had gotten Asriel’s goat this time around. 

He began flipping through the channels again and paused on a feed of Mettaton sitting in front of what looked to be some kind of parade. Apparently he was co-hosting live coverage of the event, smarming up the screen with his perfect hair and metallic grin. The skeleton’s eye sockets narrowed on the possessed robot and though he was perfectly aware that MTT had released the sex tape on Frisk’s orders, he still wished the media monster had had the presence of mind to refuse. Sans desperately wanted to hate the beast who was getting only the attention he craved from the whole debacle, but the skeleton knew it wasn’t Mettaton’s fault. None of it was really.

Sans’s eye sockets widened. There, in the crowd below the hosts, a very familiar pair of horns appeared and suddenly Sans realized that even though he hadn’t been incensed enough to place blame on the electronic idol, someone else had, and he was royally pissed. 

........................................................................

 

Frisk knew she was dreaming, but that didn’t make it hurt any less. A long staircase that led only to a locked door. A massive dark room, the only light a distant fading yellow thing too high up for her to touch. Disembodied voices telling her that she had no purpose, that she was worthless, that she had failed.

“You are no longer of any use to my family,” came a crisp heatless voice, called up from the depths of her (Wrong, no! That was reserved for people) it’s memories. A voice she (Get it right or you’ll make him angry) it hadn’t heard since before it had fallen into the underground. 

It knew it was dreaming. It knew none of this was real. It knew the family was long gone, and perhaps because it knew they were gone it cried out, “Please, do not leave this one! This one can still be useful! Please!”

It woke with a gasp and the first thing it saw was a pair of large concerned eye sockets peering at it, the black depths within seemingly eternal.

Frisk mentally shook herself, forced a smile onto her face, and gripped the bony hand that had entwined itself with hers.

“Are you alright human?” Papyrus questioned. “You seemed very startled when you first woke.”

Frisk inhaled deeply, grabbing on to that word he used for her. Human. She wrapped the word around herself like a blanket and found that her smile was no longer forced. “Yeah, just forgot where I was for a second.”

Papyrus narrowed eyes at her for a moment but ultimately accepted the reasoning and pulled her into a warm embrace. “You are with the Great Papyrus, dear human. How could you forget something as wonderful as that?”

Frisk chuckled, “I don’t know. Maybe I just thought it was too good to be true.”

The gentle scrape of teeth against her neck drew a pleasant hum from her throat and she nuzzled into him. The sweet citrus scent of the medicinal oils he used to heal himself still clung to his bones, and she breathed him in greedily, her fingers pushing into the cloth of his shirt as she pulled herself closer to him. She nuzzled her cheek upon the smooth bone of his skull, placing kisses intermittently as she bathed herself in the feel of him. He was solid. He was there, lying next to her, holding her. It wasn’t enough. 

She plunged her hands beneath his shirt and immediately the illusion of skin that clothing gave him was gone. It was just him. Notched, delicately interlocking vertebra that made up his spine, thin sharp plates that made up his scapula, long flat bones that made up his ribs. She traced each structure with fingers that wished to memorize the feel of him, all of him. Deliberately she pressed along every curve and dip and edge, bringing her fingers on either side of some to get their exact width, languidly pulling the pads of her digits across the bone over and over until she had memorized the exact length of each one just through touch. Dreams weren’t tangible. This wasn’t a dream. This was real. This was now and real and that was all that mattered.

A low rumbling growl shook Papyrus's chest, and with her fingers still stroking his ribs, the vibrations were intense. She hesitated. 

“D-don’t stop,” he said, voice breathy and thick. 

Frisk did not want to stop. All she wished for was to explore every recess of his body, to map each dimple and mound until every inch of him was known to her. But she had already sent Sans away because of the secrets she kept. She couldn’t turn around and not do the same to Papyrus.

“There’s still so much you don’t know about me yet,” she said, angry at herself that her voice was so weak. 

“If... if you do not wish to continue, that is fine.” He said pulling back enough so that she could see his eyes. “But I know you, Frisk. I have known you for years. Just because there are a few bits of information that I’m not yet privy too, doesn’t change that. It does not change the person you are and will not change how I feel about you.”

Frisk smiled at his words, and though the expression was bright, it was also hollow . As she coaxed him to pull off his shirt, as she bent to his ribs and kissed at them softly, as her hands wandered lower toward that gentle orange glow at his pelvis, she knew it was not his words that had convinced her, because as ever he was too innocent to understand what lines could not be crossed nor how many times she had crossed them. What brought her hands back to him was his need. She could be useful to him, and as worthless and pathetic as she felt just then, being useful even in this small way, was enough to sate her conditioned desire to be of service. She imagined that perhaps it wasn’t so depraved what she was doing, since she knew this was something she wanted to do anyway, but some part of her knew that wasn’t a good enough excuse. Not in the least.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaaand fade to black. .... what? Not many folk seem particularly interested in the smut so I’m cutting it short. Maybe I’ll start up another fic to satisfy my penchant for sin.


	20. Healing Heat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Heavy petting, breast groping, vaginal intercourse, obedience kink (?eh sort of –ish, I’m really not sure this is the correct warning), soul sex (damn it, I had to try it at least once), sensitive bones, ecto-dick 
> 
> It’s been too long. I fear I’ve forgotten how to smut. Here’s hoping I figure it out again =p

Frisk pulled her teeth gently over Papyrus’s bottom most rib drawing a shudder from the monster beneath her. Nimbly she pressed her fingers along his iliac crest and smiled at the subtle shift of his hips which silently demanded more contact. She moved herself down along his body, bringing her face over his spine so she could lick and kiss along the interlocking vertebra as her hand moved over the top of his shorts, massaging the heat that had formed at his pelvis, teasing him through the cloth. A resonant growl shook the skeleton as he pushed up into the too gentle movements of her hand. 

“Tell me what you want,” she murmured into his bones, the warmth of her words dancing along his spine.

He opened his jaw but the only sound that emerged was one of breathy pleasure. She gripped his magic pulling and caressing him roughly through the blue fabric.

“Papyrus, please.” Her own need heated her voice edging it with her lust, “Tell me what you want from me.”

She moved lower moving her hand up to grip and push along his spine and nuzzling her cheek into the barely contained magic that pushed back at her through his clothing.

“Papyrus,” Frisk whispered before kissing along his trapped length, “tell me what I can do for you.” 

It had to be a command. It wouldn’t work if it wasn’t a command. If she wasn’t able to fulfil some demand of his then she couldn’t feel as if she had been of use. Frustrated by his refusal to speak, she considered backing off until he told her to do otherwise. 

A strangely familiar almost musical sound drew her attention up the monster’s body and her bright blue eyes widened at the sight she found there. He had summoned his soul.

Slowly, Frisk rose up onto her hands and knees and managed to tear her eyes away from the small inverted heart to look a question into the lanky skeleton’s nervous face.

“I-I want you to touch my soul while I’m inside you.” His voice was breathy and soft and an orange blush burned his cheekbones as he made his request.

Conversely, Frisk went pail. “I know monsters sometimes touch each other’s souls during sex,” she chewed on the side of her lip uneasily. “I know some humans and monsters have done it... but I’ve never...”

Papyrus chuckled, “Are you telling me I’d be your first?” He wiggled his brow ridges suggestively, which ridiculously made her blush. Papyrus laughed harder.

“Isn’t,” she paused searching for what she wanted to say, “Isn’t soul touching kind of a big deal? Hasn’t it always sort of been reserved for really committed relationships?” Pap looked like he was going to speak but she pressed on quickly. “You know at most I might be here a month before I’ll have to leave.”

Papyrus raised his head up further, using his elbows to prop himself up, “Y-yes, I do understand that. I think probably because I know you’ll have to leave soon I want to share this with you. I don’t expect you to share your soul with me, but before you go, I would very much like you know what I feel when I’m with you. I believe it would be good for you also.”

Frisk arched an eyebrow at that, “Good for me? I’m sure I’d probably enjoy it a lot, I just... I don’t want you to think that this will change anything.”

Papyrus inclined his skull, “I know you will do what you believe you must. It’s just who you are.”

Her brow furrowed, “And you wouldn’t mind if I didn’t feel comfortable sharing my soul just yet.”

“It’s a very personal thing,” Papyrus said with a patient smile. “If it is not something you wish to do, then that is fine.”

She pressed her lips together before she finally made her decision. “Okay, but you’ve got to lead the show here because I’ll be totally out of my depth.”

His grin widened with delight, “Worry not human. I, the Great Papyrus, am an excellent teacher. Nyeh heh heh!”

Frisk couldn’t help but laugh along with him, “So professor, how do we begin?”

He looked down her body and frowned, “Well, first of all, you’re wearing far too much clothing.” He returned his soul and sat up forcing Frisk to do the same. “Here, let me help you with that.”

He gripped the bottom of her shirt and she raised her arms for him to slip it off over her head. His thin fingers moved to the bra clasp at her back and unhooked the contraption with only a small amount of difficulty. Carefully he removed the article, sliding the straps down her arms, tracing his fingertips along her skin as he did so. Gooseflesh arose at his light touches and he seemed pleased at the way it made her nipples perk and harden.

“Lie down,” he murmured as he tossed her bra aside.

She did and he followed her down pressing his face into the soft mounds of her breast. Angry red lines marred her golden skin where her bra had dug into her while she slept. Briefly, he lightly traced the marks they made, outlining her contours and humming thoughtfully at the shiver that ran up her body. Turning his face back into her breast he gently nipped at the skin around her areola before using his tongue to flick and caress the pert nub at its center, making it grow harder and reddening the skin slightly as a blush bloomed over her chest. She moaned softly, her back arching into his touch. Papyrus moved to the other breast, using his hand to continue the work his mouth had begun and her heavy breathing hitched as she indulged in the sensation of him carefully dividing his attention. Her fingers reached out and found purchase on his ribs, gripping them roughly as he tasted her skin. A soft rumbling purr escaped him as she pulled at his bones, her nails digging into the calcium. 

“N-not that this doesn’t feel wonderful,” she managed, voice breathy and slightly strained, “but really I-“ she paused as a shudder of pleasure shook her when he ran his teeth over her tits in just the right way. “mnha- I... really I wanted to do something for you.”

Papyrus laughed as he sat up, straddling her hips, “My dear human, if you believe hearing you moan when I bite you, seeing how beautifully your body responds to my touch, feeling how you writhe and shutter at my attention – if you believe that doesn’t ‘do something for me,’ well,” with deft and nimble fingers he pulled the spiral of his erection from its fabric cage, “that’s just plain silly.”

She snorted and smiled like a fool, “Papyrus, how are you so cool?”

He lifted his chin in a slight pose, “Years of practice.”

Gripping the top of her black yoga pants, he began pulling them back, underwear and all having to slip off the bed a moment to remove them completely. He returned crawling up between her knees and lifted her legs to rest upon his hip bones. Carefully, he angled himself to her entrance and slowly, ever so slowly, pressed himself inside. A high needy whine slipped between the tight press of her lips and her hips writhed at the fullness within her, aching for the friction that she so desperately desired.

The distinct bell-like sound rang in her ears as Papyrus once again summoned his soul. She focused on the white, vaguely glowing, inverted heart he held out to her, watching it float above his outstretched palm. It seemed so fragile and delicate that she felt herself shrinking away from it slightly, afraid that if she breathed on it too hard, it might shatter. 

He paused, “If you truly do not wish to try this, that is alright. I-“

“No,” she said hastily, “It’s just, I’m a little afraid of hurting you accidently.”

He smiled warmly and tilted his head, “Hold out your hands.”

She obeyed readily. Without hesitation he tipped his palm and his soul floated gently into her hands, hovering just above the skin.

“Close your hands around it and don’t let go,” he instructed and diligently she did as she was told.

As the pads of her palms and fingers touched the velvety soft surface of his soul, she was taken aback by the tingling warmth that ran down her arms and into her core at the slightest contact with it. She sucked in a sharp breath suddenly not only aware of the fullness within her but surreally aware of the hot press of her own slickened walls.

“Now, remember,” he said bracing one hand against the bed and using the other to grab onto her hip, “don’t let go.”

She nodded, feeling slightly annoyed at his reminder, when suddenly he began to move his hips and the duel sided sensation was so intense she nearly did lose her hold on his soul.

Swallowing hard, she rest her clasped hands on her chest and let the hot pleasure roll over her body. Frisk began to pant in time with her lover’s movements as though his breath was hers and when he growled she felt as though it were coming from inside her and delighted in the pulsing wave of lust it brought with it.

“Tighter,” Papyrus huffed. “Hold it tighter.”

She obeyed without question and was rewarded by his deep and guttural moan. Frisk felt the hot press of desire that ran across his bones at her touch and was overjoyed. Actually being able to feel the direct pleasure she was giving him with her body with her touch, it fed deeply the pit in her that demanded her utility. To be of use, to be needed, it was a never ending hunger for her, one that had been sewn into her being long ago.

Frisk used her legs to pull him down harder as he thrust causing Papyrus to chuckle at her enthusiasm. The sensation he cultivated from her skin, the delicious pull of her body as her walls tightened around his length as he rut between her folds, the intense high burn of his need as she felt what he felt – his magic coiling ever tighter within him – it was amazing.

Her eyes fluttered shut when a particularly intense finger of heat burned up her body, arching her back as she moaned her desire.

“Please, Frisk, tighter,” a high whine hitched onto the back of his throat and she knew he was close.

Struggling to keep her wits about her, Frisk slowly pressed her hands around his soul, fully expecting the action to make him cum. However, she could feel now that he was holding himself back, fighting his body’s desire to climax and she wondered why.

Then, abruptly slipping into her senses without warning, she felt it. Not just physical sensation, but emotion. She felt him looking down at her and sensed his desire for her. His desire to make her happy, his desire to make her feel wanted, his desire to stand beside her and help her in any way he was able. On her best days she might have felt useful or adequate enough to fulfil a role, but through his eyes she saw someone confident, important, and powerful.

She opened her eyes and through her own body looked up at him, finding his gaze intense, searching for recognition that she had reached the very core of what he felt for her.

Her eyes blazed with wonder at him, that he could see her like that. Holding on to the joy of it and pushing every misgiving and ugly thought aside because this was for him and if this was what he wanted she would give it to him, if only for a moment’s beautiful fantasy. 

She brought her clasped hands to her lips and whispered into them and into his soul, “God damn you Papyrus. I love you. I love you!”

She felt that tight coil of magic within him snap and as he came so did she, the sounds of their release creating a defining cacophony of their sated lust. The light of his soul flared momentarily and the tall skeleton collapsed panting beside her.

“Nyeh,” he huffed breathlessly throwing an arm over his face, “heh heh. Th-that was...” He turned to her, but his smile faltered when he saw her face. Silent shining tears ran down her cheeks sinking into the pillow beneath, eyes wide and staring unfocussed up into the ceiling. “Hey, Frisk, are you – I didn’t hurt you did I?”

She blinked rapidly, shaking her head as though ridding herself of a mental fog, “No, I – I’m fine.”

Sitting up, she held out her clasped hands to him not looking into the man’s face as she did. Confusion was etched into Papyrus’s bones as he accepted the return of his soul and let it float back into himself. Frisk turned away from him, slipping off the bed and began to get dressed. She moved stiffly, robotically, all the while careful not to so much as glance in his direction. 

“Frisk?” he murmured, voice fragile.

She’d just managed to get her panties and leggings on when she sat heavily on the edge of the bed again, wiping at her face with the back of her hand. “I’m sorry, I just-“ She took a deep breath, straightening her back with the action, trying to regain her composure, “I really wish I was more like the person you think I am. I don’t think I’ve ever been so fully complimented in my life.”

Papyrus sat up edging closer to her, placing a hand on her shoulder and finding it cool and trembling to the touch.

“I’m not strong you know,” she whispered bitterly. 

“I know you don’t think you are, but-“

“I’m not,” she insisted. “If I was strong then I’d never have...” she trailed off, pinching at her sinuses, willing the sting of tears away. “Any strength I’ve ever had has been borrowed. I’ve never had any myself. I’m just occasionally useful. I mean, hell, anyone could do what I do if they just put in the time and effort.”

Papyrus squeezed at her shoulder, trying to reassure her, “I suspected you felt that way. You’ve always been so willing to throw yourself to the wolves whenever something bad happens. You act like it doesn’t matter if you get hurt. Most of the time you seem to act like you don’t matter. I used to think it was just a warriors bravery that let you ignore caution, but that’s not the case, is it?”

Frisk rest her forearms on her knees, hanging her head miserably, “Warrior? Ha, not hardly.” She huffed out a puff of air and then bit at her own lips, afraid of what she might say if she let them part again.

“Frisk, you are strong. You are important to me and to many people. I don’t understand why you’re so eager to dismiss that. Why you’re so quick to throw yourself away.”

Cold echoes reverberated from the depths of her memories and some managed to slip out of her mouth, “A good tool is sturdy, but even if it breaks, you can always buy another.”

“What?” A strangled bud of horror planted itself in the monster’s throat but he was unable to get her to elaborate on the matter as a distraction presented itself.

There was a loud crash from the living room and the sound of shouting.

“I’ll kill you, you goddamn fucking piece of shit!” boomed the bile filled voice of the prince of all monsters.

There was an explosion and it seemed that the entire house shook with it.

“Damn it, Asriel,” Sans’s baritone barked, “stop blowing up my house!”

A third voice shrieked in fear as another explosion shook the very foundation of the home.

“My god, he’s lost his mind!” Mettaton’s distinct voice rang out.

Asriel roared angrily and something glass shattered.

“Fuck,” Frisk hissed, throwing on the closest shirt she could find and racing out the door.

Papyrus soon followed her, suddenly wishing he had time to put on his old battle body. He had the feeling he was going to need it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Weeeeeeeeell, this chapter didn’t quite end up where I thought it would but I kept the title anyway... because I like alliteration. Also, big thank you to those of you who encouraged me to write more smut for this story. Hopefully it’s not too out of place.


	21. A Suffering In Her Truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: And so begins the slog of exposition! Woooooo. I know how I want this story to end. I can see it. But how to get there... geez, I’m just not sure I’m doing it right. Here’s hoping I figure it out along the way.
> 
> Warning: swearing, mentions of unsafe BDSM play, mentions of past child endangerment and abuse, cliff hanger

Emerging from Papyrus’s room, Frisk nearly ended up ass over tea kettle tripping on a box just outside his door.

“What the hell?” she stammered, taking in the rest of the house. Here and there and everywhere were boxes stacked by the walls, lining the bannister, all over the place, many of them sporting a few lines of her chicken scratch. 

There was a shriek and one of those very familiar boxes came flying through the air, crashing on the staircase and tearing open to spill out a number of her possessions.

“Stop running and let me smash you!” Asriel shouted hefting another box.

“Kind of a lateral mover there, bud, from explosions to projectiles,” Sans grumbled, his left eye glowing blue and a number of blue bones forming a shield in front of him. “That’s Frisk’s stuff you’re chucking by the way and I don’t think she-“

“ASRIEL DREEMERR!” Frisk shouted from the top of the staircase, “WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING!?”

“Oh thank god,” said a very rumpled looking Mettaton in a black and pink pinstriped suit. He’d been hiding behind Sans and his shield. “Frisk, you said you were going to talk to him about the video before it went out.”

“Is that what this is about?” Frisk said as she descended the staircase, “I did tell him.” She glared at Asriel who was disgruntledly putting down the box he’d just picked up, “I told you I was having Mettaton release a sex tape to divert attention from you.”

“Oh is that what you call that, a sex tape?” venom dripped off of the goat monster’s words. “Looked more like torture to me.”

“Damn it, Asriel, I told you it was a bit rough, but it was all consensual. He did what I asked him to do. Did you watch the whole thing?” Frisk stepped up a little in front of Sans, Papyrus looming at her back.

“I saw enough,” Asriel hissed.

“Darling, this is all just a big misunderstanding,” Mettaton crooned, straightening slightly. “It was just some rough play to spice up the sex, my dear. Nothing more than an illusion. A little performance that seemed dangerous but it really wasn’t. Actually, it was an excellent showcase of safe BDSM play – establishing a safe word, boundaries, after care. I know it might have looked rather extreme at times but-“

“After care?” Asriel bit out, “Is that what you call that little ace bandage I found wrapped around her arm when I picked her up five years ago.”

Frisk flinched and Asriel picked up on it immediately, “You thought I wouldn’t notice, didn’t you? Did you really think I wouldn’t put it together?”

“Asriel, Mettaton did nothing wrong. It...” she faltered suddenly having trouble looking into the prince’s face, “It was me. I was messed up. Mettaton didn’t know.”

“How could he not?” Asriel demanded. He swiped an angry claw at the possessed robot who flinched back from the motion, “I heard her scream! Did you really think there was any pleasure in that voice, Mettaton? Did you think she was crying because it just felt so good? How stupid are you?”

“Frisk, what do you mean I didn’t know?” Mettaton asked apprehension making his voice sharp. “I know I got a little out of hand there, but I thought I just strained your wrist a bit... didn’t I?”

“Try a spiral fracture, ass hat,” Asriel growled. “Four bruised ribs and a broken clavicle.” An ugly snarl curled his lips revealing the angry points of his teeth. “She said she had a bad fall after one of your concerts.”

Mettaton’s eyes widened in horror even as he felt the very unfriendly glances he was beginning to receive from the bone brothers who had stepped slightly away from him. Frisk went to the electronic idol, guilt coloring her face. 

“I... I didn’t... I ...” he was shaking his head, eyes sightless, hands clutched in front of his mouth in an almost penitent gesture. 

“Mettaton,” Frisk said softly, “I’m so sorry. It wasn’t your fault. I wasn’t honest with you and I broke your trust. I... I know there’s nothing I can say to-“

“YOU’RE SORRY!” Asriel howled in rage. “He broke you! He saw you were hurt he-“

“It’s not his fault!” Frisk insisted.

“How the hell do you figure that?”

“It was my job to tell him how much I could take. I just... I didn’t want to stop.”

“Why?” Mettaton asked, face twisted with guilt. “Why didn’t you tell me how hurt you really were?”

“I just-“ Frisk fidgeted uneasily under his metallic gaze. “There isn’t a simple reason. It was just a bunch of stuff that culminated in one big psychological mess and I... I let it overwhelm me. It was just so liberating, after being treated like I was made of glass for so long, I didn’t want it to end.”

Asriel snorted and his voice came out low and dangerous, “So you’re saying it was my fault then?”

Frisk’s entire being seemed to sag mournfully and her brow knit together as she turned to Asriel, “No, it’s just...” she ran a nervous hand though her copper hair as she searched for a way to say what she had to say without making things worse. “Asriel, I know I’m weak, but I’m not useless. You and mom and dad, when we left the mountain, you all started treating me like I couldn’t do anything for myself, like I couldn’t function, and I just couldn’t take it. So when the opportunity arrived were I could play at being strong for a while, I went too far, I abused it. I knew how hurt I was, I could have made it stop, but I didn’t want to. Don’t take out my mistake on Mettaton. He did everything right.”

“You are fragile Frisk,” Asriel rumbled. “You’re a goddamn china doll and you insist on waving red flags in the face of every bull you meet. Do you know how frustrating that is? Do you know how much it hurts the family?”

Frisk’s eyes widened as a cold echo began to bounce around her mind *the Family?*

“I know the monster food has helped get your bone density to where it should be, but you’re still so delicate. I- the whole family just wants you to be safe. We just want what’s best for you.”

*What is best for the Family?*

“Wait, what’s wrong with her bone density?” Sans asked, long since having disbursed his shield.

“She hasn’t told you yet?” Asriel said, concern coloring his voice. “No, of course not. That would be the sane thing to do.”

In her mind’s eye she saw a door close at the top of a tall staircase, the bolt lock sliding shut, cold words reverberated in her mind, “You are no longer of any use to my family.”

*And if you can’t be of use, then they might as well just throw you way with the rest of the garbage.* 

“When she was a small child, her birth mother-“

“Asriel,” Frisk barked, “that is not your story to tell!”

“If you insist on sleeping with them, then they should know. I’ve always thought you should tell your lovers your limitations.”

“This ... th... I- I’ve been taking monster food to strengthen me for years now. Low bone density is not an issue anymore. I’m fine”

Asriel blinked, “This what? You were going to refer to yourself as ‘this one’ again, weren’t you?”

Her eyes darted away like she’d been caught.

“This one?” Papyrus murmured, “Isn’t that how you used to refer to yourself back under the mountain?”

“Y-yeah,” she whispered. “It was... I just-“

“Have you been having the nightmares again?” Asriel said taking a step toward her.

Frisk retreated and looked away from the pain it caused the prince. “We... we can talk about it later.” She turned to Mettaton who seemed at a loss for words.

“Mettaton, really, you didn’t do anything wrong,” she said trying desperately to chase the frightened uncertainty from his visage. “I may have let things go further then I should have and I should have told you how hurt I was instead of hiding it, but none of that was your fault. I just didn’t want you to worry. But really I-“

“That video is everywhere now,” Mettaton muttered, voice distant. “I thought it was beautiful how fully and swiftly you trusted me. I thought I was able to read you so well. I... now that I know, I...” He pressed his hands to his mouth, “I’m going to be sick.” The metal man made a mad dash for the adjacent kitchen and vomited into the sink.

“Damn it,” Frisk muttered rubbing at her temple. 

Sans sighed, “I’m getting a beer. Does anyone else want one?”

“Yes please,” Frisk sat heavily on the couch leaning back to look up at the ceiling. 

“Sure, why not,” Asriel grumbled taking up the recliner next to her. “Didn’t this used to be in your apartment?” He asked looking curiously at the familiar black swede chair he sat in.

“Yeah, I’m staying here for a bit while the reporters besiege my apartment,” Frisk said not looking at anyone even as Papyrus sat down next to her.

“Frisk,” Papyrus began softly, “you would tell me if... if I’ve ever...”

The blue eyed woman sat up blearily blinking as though she’d just woken up and looked at the nervously fidgeting skeleton at her side, “No, you’ve never hurt me Papyrus.”

“But, just a little while ago, after we... you know...you were...” Papyrus hesitated as Sans returned with the beers handing one to Frisk.

Frisk accepted the drink, blushing furiously, and not quite looking at the shorter skeleton as she did so.

“Uhg,” Sans grumbled, “If I cared that you might have sex with Pap before we all had that big talk you keep avoiding, then I wouldn’t have let you sleep in the same room as him. I’m not mad so stop acting like I’m going to scold you or something, gees.”

“I’m not avoiding it,” Frisk said defensively.

Sans handed a beer to Asriel who was casting dark looks at Papyrus, “Suuuuuure. Whatever. Lets just-“

“Fine, you want to talk, to hell with it, let’s talk.” She used her shirt – which she realized was actually the red shirt Papyrus had been wearing when she first arrived— to help her grip the twist top of her beer and opened it, downing a few swigs. “Mettaton, it’s story time. You want to know why I’m so screwed up or do you want out because now’s the time to choose. No recording anything though. Everything said here is strictly off the record.”

“You’re going to tell Mettaton?” Asriel sounded offended at the idea. “There’s no reason-“

“You were just saying how I should tell my lovers about my limitations,” Frisk seemed to accuse. “He’s a past lover and besides, maybe it would help him to know why I used him the way I did.”

Mettaton walked back into the living room, a glass of water in his hand, and sat down on the swede black love seat – another acquisition from Frisk’s apartment, “Alright, yes, I think I would like to know.”

Sans sat down on the floor in front of the television and opened his own beer. He leaned back on one hand and raised his bottle to Frisk, “Alright then, let’s have it.”

“Okay.” She took a deep pull from her bottle and gulped the brew down greedily, “I’m going to start from before I came to the mountain, with why Asriel and my mom and dad are so worried about breaking me.” She leaned forward resting her forearms on her legs and sighed, “So, when I was about three or four --I can’t really remember exactly when-- my birth mother decided she wanted to make some quick cash, so she sold me and I became the property of a wealthy family.” As she pulled the familiar cloak of orator around her, she tried to tell herself that it was just information. It didn’t matter. Just get it over with and then maybe everyone can move the hell on with their lives. Her voice was flat and emotionless, her eyes moved around the room but didn’t focus or really even see the people they crossed. Just information. It didn’t matter. Right. 

“They only fed me enough to work around the house but wanted to keep me weak enough so I wouldn’t do something stupid like try to escape. The doctor said that’s probably why my bone density was so low and probably why I’m so short. Didn’t get the nutrients I was supposed to as a child. So that was life until I was about sixteen when the father of the Family got indicted on tax evasion charges. He packed up the Family to flee the country and locked me in the basement with a couple loaves of bread saying that I wasn’t useful anymore. No sense in trying to drag around a slave through customs I guess. About three weeks later the FBI raided the house and found me, though by then I was kind of in a hunger induced coma. Probably wouldn’t have made it that long if it hadn’t been for the rudimentary bathroom facilities – running water and a place to get rid of waste. 

"After I came out of the coma, you can’t imagine how surprised I was to find out that child slavery was, in fact, illegal and that I wasn’t going to be placed in another Family to work. The tantrum I threw, my god, it was epic. No one would let me work. ‘Oh the poor child, don’t you worry, we’ll take care of you’ they’d go on and on, most of them assuming I was younger than I really was because I was so small. But I didn’t want to be taken care of, that wasn’t what I was for. I was supposed to work because if I wasn’t working, if I wasn’t of use, then I got thrown away with the rest of the trash. So a year later –give or take – since it seemed obvious that no one was going to let me work properly, I threw myself away, which brings us to Mount Ebott.” Frisk paused to down the last of her beer. 

No one spoke. Asriel was frowning deeply at the familiar information download, Mettaton looked a bit like he’d bluescreened, the eye lights in San’s eye sockets had gone out, and Papyrus had somehow managed to look pale, though how that was possible Frisk didn’t know.

“I’m going to get another beer. Is that okay?” Frisk asked shaking her empty bottle in Sans’s direction.

“Y-yeah, knock yourself out,” Sans said, voice hollow with shock.

“Thanks,” Frisk got up and meandered over to the kitchen.

“You were a slave?” Mettaton finally gasped.

“Yep,” Frisk said as she selected a pair of brown bottles from the refrigerator. 

“What... I... who is... “ Mettaton stammered at a loss. 

“What in the actual hell!” Sans barked as Frisk returned to her seat, his shock finally wearing off, “How can you just say all that with a straight face? Like it doesn’t matter? Like it’s nothing? You were about ready to tear off Asriel’s head when he started to say something about it. What the hell is this?”

“You wanted to know, those are the facts. It is what it is,” Frisk said with a shrug. “I’m trying very hard to be civil about it, so I’d really appreciate it if you did the same.”

“Civil? Are you fucking kidding me? You tell us you were a slave and you want me to-“

“Sans!” Papyrus hissed. Catching his brother’s eye he directed Sans’s gaze to Frisk’s resting hand and Sans finally caught the fine tremble of it as it rest across her knee. 

“Alright, sorry,” Sans let out a puff of air trying to calm himself. “It’s just... it’s a lot to take in all at once.”

“Yeah,” Frisk muttered, “Just trying to get it over with I guess.”

“They didn’t-“ Mettaton stopped as though he wasn’t sure he really wanted to say what he was thinking. “They didn’t abuse you, did they?”

“If I misbehaved I was punished, which usually meant a lashing,” Frisk said opening her second beer. “If you’re asking did they touch me sexually, then no. I was property not people and most polite people don’t fuck the furniture.”

“Most polite people don’t keep slaves,” Asriel growled. “Most polite people don’t convince a little girl that she’s a thing and not a person. They didn’t even call you she or girl.”

Frisk took a swig of her ale and rolled her shoulders in an approximation of a shrug, “It probably helped them get around the guilt, calling me ‘it’ and ‘that one’ and ‘you there’ took away my humanity. If I wasn’t human, then they didn’t have to feel bad about keeping me as their pet.”

“But you were calling yourself ‘this one’ again, like under the mountain. Why?” Papyrus asked his voice sounding strained with the effort to be soft. 

Idly Frisk swirled the contents of her bottle, watching the little vortex that formed within, “Guess I’ve just been thinking about back then a lot lately. And yes, Asriel, I have had a few nightmares about my old life, and about Chara. With everything falling apart, nothing to do but watch it crumble, guess I’ve been feeling a bit useless, and I really can’t stand being useless.” She took another pull of beer and shook her head, “It’s just some residual nonsense though. I wouldn’t worry about it. I’m-“

“I swear to god, if you say you’re fine, I’m going to start throwing boxes again,” Asriel rumbled a dark look in his eyes. 

Frisk pursed her lips a moment, “I’m... I’m working through it.”

“You’re supposed to talk to someone about it when this stuff starts happening,” Asriel said an edge of weariness lining his voice. “To me, or mom, or dad, someone!”

“Well, here I am. This is me talking about it. Big fat lot of good it’s doing,” she took another drink.

“Frisk,” Papyrus began, “we’re your friends. We want to help you but we can’t do that if you-“

“I don’t want help!” Frisk snapped.

The lanky skeleton flinched back from the harsh crack of her voice but Frisk didn’t seem to notice.

“I don’t want to be taken care of, I don’t want anything done for me, I do not want nor do I need help!” 

“Is that because of how badly everything ended up the last time you accepted help?” Sans asked catching the woman’s eye, “Because I think it’s clear to everyone else here that you absolutely do **need** help of some kind even if you don’t want it.”

“Last time I asked for help, heh.” She rubbed at her face which was already starting to numb from the alcohol, “Not a bad bit of reasoning there.” Frisk took another drink, “Well, right, okay, back to the story. So I went to the mountain to die-“

There was a loud bang at the front door, then another, then it cracked in two sending splinters everywhere.

“What the hell?!” Sans yelled as he summoned a gaster blaster and aimed it at what was left of his front door. 

The others followed suit readying their own attacks, except for Frisk who downed the last of her drink and muttered, “Saved by the bell.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did put in the warning that this was going to be kind of a cliffhanger.
> 
> Urg, I kind of despise this chapter. I might try to do something else if it's as bad as I suspect it might be. I think I'm too close to it though so I'm having trouble figuring out exactly what's bothering me about it. I feel like it's probably something obvious and dumb but I'm just missing it consciously. Advice would be appreciated.


	22. Pavestones Lining a Damned Path

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No warnings really I don’t think. Let me know if I’m wrong.

Facing down the business end of four relatively powerful attacks from a group of monsters who looked hungry for violence gave even the likes of Undyne pause, if only for a moment.

“Get that weak sauce out of my face before you dweebs embarrass yourselves in front of your girlfriend,” The blue fish monster barked giving them a flat look.

The hiss of Frisk opening her third beer rang out in the silence of the room, “Oooooo , Azzie, you’ve got a girlfriend? I’m so telling mom.”

Disappearing his magic, Asriel shot a glare at Frisk who was dutifully pouring alcohol down her gullet. “That’s not funny.”

Frisk snorted, “Hey, someone my age is too old to be called anyone’s ‘girlfriend,’ so she can’t be talking about me. Hell, I haven’t even seen Mettaton in the proverbial flesh in the last four years.”

“Well,” Papyrus submitted, “you are both a girl and our friend so technically-“ 

“Nope, I reject,” Frisk said with a raised chin. “No one out of their teens can be called a ‘girl’ anymore. It’s woman or lady.”

“Lady-friend?” Mettaton said with a frown. “Darling, that makes you sound a bit like a prostitute.”

“Undyne, nice of you to drop by,” Sans said as he and the others put away their attacks and returned to their seats. “Couldn’t help but notice that you **broke my door** . Any particular reason for that or are you just pan-door-ing to your violent typecast?”

The red haired woman narrowed her eye at the pun monster, “Well, ya know, when a couple of my friends look like they’re about to kill each other on national television and are suddenly whisked away, I tend to get a little-“

“Punchy?” Frisk supplied.

“Concerned,” Undyne finished pointedly. “Hell, I half expected to show up here and find you idiots beating the tar out of each other.”

“Nah, the floor show ended ages ago,” the copper haired woman drawled. “We’ve moved on to spooky stories around the camp fire.”

“Huh, well isn’t that nice,” Undyne grumbled, “but if you nimrods are done with story time, could you please get back out there and let everyone know you’re okay before the MTT fans start a riot?”

“Geez, being a little dramatic there,” Asriel said and sipped on his own drink.

“No, actually, she’s right,” Mettaton said, brows coming together in concern. “Some of my fans are... very enthusiastic, and with the mania already stirred up by the ... the other thing, they really might just do something unfortunate.”

“Rex is already holding a press conference at the embassy,” the fish monster supplied, hooking a thumb into her cargo pants. “Just pop in at the sidelines, show everyone you’re okay.”

“Guess I’m giving you boys another ride then,” Sans huffed as he set down his drink and rolled his neck feeling a little weary from all the teleporting he’d done that day. 

“Yeah, fine,” Asriel grumbled, downing the last of his drink and setting down the bottle.

Sans took the hands of his travel companions saying, “Back in a flash.” before blinking the three of them out of the room.

An unsteady quiet settled into the room before Frisk asked, “So what is Rex holding a press conference for?”

Undyne shrugged, “Just some stuff he thought needed to be said before he really settles into his new position.”

The fish monster came around the couch so the skeleton and the former ambassador didn’t have to crane their necks at her from over the top of the couch and had a seat in the available recliner. “What’s with all the boxes Pap? You guys moving somewhere?”

“Oh no, those are mine,” Frisk answered before Papyrus could speak. “My place is kind of a zoo right now with all the reporters so Papyrus and Sans are letting me crash here.” 

“Aw man, sorry Frisk. That sucks.”

Frisk giggled, “I don’t know. Staying here has it’s benefits.“ She leaned heavily onto Papyrus, unfazed by the rigidness of his bare ribcage.

Undyne raised an eyebrow at the woman’s overfamiliarity with the lanky skeleton. “Damn, I owe Alphys five bucks.”

“Why is that?” Papyrus asked as he rest an arm around the inebriated woman’s shoulders and plucked her unfinished drink from her hands. Frisk pouted minimally, but otherwise didn’t resist and Papyrus placed the beer on the end table out of her reach. 

“After this morning, she was sure you and Frisk were seeing each other, but I didn’t believe it. I always figured Sans would be the one to succumb to her wiles.”

An unfriendly look crossed the skeleton’s features despite the light giggling that was leaking from the companion at his side.

“Succumb to my wiles hu? Oh man, what am I, a succubus?” Frisk chuckled curling up closer to Papyrus. He wasn’t particularly comfortable, but feeling him so close somehow calmed her, stilling the roiling nerves that were still trying to drive her into a panic attack from all the awful memories she’d so recently had to speak on. The knowledge that she wasn’t yet done with her trip down memory lane made her ill, and since she was denied alcohol to dull her emotions, she decided taking solace in the strength of a friend would have to do.

Undyne held up her hands, “Hey, I didn’t mean anything by it. I just-“ Her fangs clicked together nervously as she sagged slightly in her seat. “You know, actually, I wanted to apologies to you Frisk.”

The blue eyed woman blinked bewilderedly, “Why?”

“When I found out about the sex tape, I had some not so nice thoughts about you. I thought your sins were finally catching up with you. It’s the worst kept secret in the monster kingdom the kind of relationships you keep.” The muscle in her arms flexed beneath the tight black fabric for her shirt, broadcasting her anxiety.

The arm around her shoulder tightened and distantly Frisk wondered why. “Hey, it’s no big deal. I know my romantic life rubs some folk the wrong way. It’s not for everyone. God knows my life would have been easier if I’d been strong enough to resist and just be normal.”

“Well I for one am glad you didn’t,” Papyrus said lightly nuzzling the top of her head. 

“Hey, normal is overrated anyway,” Undyne agreed. “And after talking to Rex about you back when you two were seeing each other, I get that you were always up front about your...um... what did he call it? Polyamory? Said that your biggest flaw was never that you were dishonest with anyone about your intentions, just that you were a work-a-holic. Everyone came second to the job and he just couldn’t get around that. Being ambassador was the most important thing to you.”

Regret passed over the woman’s face and she sat forward, moving out of the skeleton’s arms, “Yeah, well, not important enough to keep everything from blowing up in my face.” Frisk shrugged and sighed, “But at least you guys are safe now, and that’s what matters.”

“Safe is overrated also,” Undyne murmured. 

Frisk’s brow furrowed, “What?”

“Rex is right, the monsters, we can’t live our lives in fear of what might happen, what the humans might do if they get pissed off at us,” Undyne rumbled softly. “If being ‘safe’ means throwing our friends into the fire, then it’s not worth it.”

“Thrown into the fire?” Frisk said with a nervous laugh, “That’s a bit extreme. I’m embarrassed having my private life broadcast, but I’ll live. I’ll have to leave the country for a few years but it’s not a big deal.”

“Not a big deal?” Undyne snorted, “You humans only last at most a hundred years and maybe sixty of those years you’ll actually be virile enough to do what you want. You’re really going to waist years of your life running off with your tail between your legs? That’s insane.”

“If it means the monsters will be less persecuted than they already are then it’s a deal in my book.”

“Well you don’t get to make that kind of decision on your own, because in my book, we don’t abandon our friends just because they might not be as popular as they once were.”

“Not popular? This isn’t about my popularity. This is about protecting you. If the humans really don’t trust your moral fiber then-“

“What, they’ll lock us back under the mountain? Fuhuhu! Let them try! Besides, after centuries without monster magic around them, the humans don’t have sorcerers strong enough to pull that off again.”

Frisk curled her fists, “That’s exactly right. There are no human sorcerers now. The humans can’t show you mercy in imprisonment now. Now all they can do is kill you, all of you, if they decide they can’t trust monsters again.”

Undyne blinked a deep frown pulling on her lips, “You’ve got a very bleak view of your own people, Frisk. I think you don’t give them enough credit. There are some angry people out there, but I’ve found a lot of love and compassion among the humans also.”

“It doesn’t have to be all of them, just an ugly determined few to wipe out every monster alive.”

Undyne snorted, “Well, I guess we’ll just have to wait and find out then, wont we.”

A kind of horror was settling into Frisk’s chest making it tight, “Why did Rex decide to hold a press conference, Undyne?”

“I already told you. There was some stuff he thought needed to be said before he settles into his new position.” There was a weight in the red haired woman’s good eye that Frisk hadn’t really noticed before, a weight and recklessness that sent a chill up her spine. 

The copper haired woman stood, grabbed up the remote control off of the coffee table, and turned on the television. It was already set to a news broadcast and on the screen was Rex in a dark green three piece suit, gripping a podium with his robotic, prosthetic arms and looking resolved and immobile flanked by the royal family and Mettaton.

“At seventeen Frisk Dreemurr was setting free the monster race from their unjust imprisonment. What were you doing when you were that age?” Rex said with an easy smile. A soft laughter drifted through the press core.

A reporter in a dark blue suit spoke up, “There’s no denying that Ms. Dreemurr has performed some heroic acts for the monster race, but surely that doesn’t excuse her behavior-“

“And what behavior is that?” Rex asked with a predatory tilt of his head. “You mean the behavior of two consenting, competent, adults partaking in some rather vigorous intercourse? I hadn’t realized that was illegal these days.” More laughter bubbled up from those gathered. 

“Well, no, but obviously she’s lost some credibility even among the monsters seeing as how she’s no longer your ambassador,” blue suit continued.

“The only thing obvious to me is that we, Frisk and I, decided it was high time an actual monster began representing monster interests among the humans. The monsters have relied on Ms. Dreemurr heavily in the last few years, and I’m sure we will continue to do so in whatever position she chooses to partake in next. She’s proven herself intelligent, compassionate, and dedicated to helping everyone she can and I for one am grateful to her for all that she has done and sacrificed for us. Grateful enough to allow her whatever time she needs to gather herself after what must be some stressful embarrassment after having her private life aired to the world.”

A man in a white button up shirt and brown vest spoke up next, “Are you saying you approve of her extracurricular activities then?”

Rex laughed, “That’s like asking if I approve of someone liking rocky road ice cream over rainbow sherbet. What do I care? That’s between her and those involved and as has been stated, no deception was ever entailed, so again I don’t see any problem, not in her judgement nor her actions.”

A number of reporters tried to ask questions all at once and Rex simply looked over them patiently waiting for them to settle. 

“What the hell is he doing!” Frisk shouted at the television. “This undermines everything!”

“Maybe this is for the best,” Papyrus said cheerfully. “I think showing how monsters stand with their friends is a much better way to show off how great we are then trying to sneak around.” 

“This is too dangerous,” Frisk lamented. “Why is the PR department letting him do this? This is-“

“Fuhuhu, those dim bulbs?” Undyne said leaning back in the recliner, “Oh yeah, after he found out you were getting thrown under the bus and they were all for it, Rex fired the lot of them.”

“WHAT!” Frisk shrieked.

“Ooooh yeah, and Jerry too. I mean, I would have preferred Rex punched him in the face for releasing your private phone number and residence to the public, but eh, maybe he didn’t have his arms on at the time,” Undyne said picking at her fangs.

Frisk buried her face in her hands, “Oh my god, this is a disaster.”

The press core had settled somewhat and a female voice rose above the rest, “Do you think Ms. Dreemurr’s time with the Halliburton family at all affected her reasoning.”

Frisk looked back to the television with wide eyes. The camera was focused close on Rex who seemed at a loss. 

“I’m sorry, I don’t recognize that name,” Rex finally said glancing over at Toriel who was fast approaching the podium. 

“No,” Frisk murmured. 

“The Halliburton family,” the blond reporter asked, a manila folder held tight to her chest. “They were an affluent family who made their fortune in oil. Hector Halliburton was charged with tax evasion and suspected of a number of other white collar crimes but fled the country with his family before he could be arrested. When authorities raided his home-“ she paused to pull out a large photo from her folder of a gaunt and unconscious girl, her long copper hair resting lank and flat over her shoulders as she rest in a hospital bed, “they found this girl locked in the family’s basement on the verge of starvation. It was thought that she had been kept as a child slave in their home and abandoned when they fled the country. She did not have a name when she was found but that is Frisk Dreemurr, is it not?”

“Don’t do it,” Frisk whispered at the television distantly aware that Undyne was saying something but she ignored it.

“What is your name dear?” Toriel asked, her voice soft but somehow absolute in its command. 

“Tabitha Jones, West Coast News,” the blond replied sharply. 

The goat monster smiled warmly, “Thank you Ms. Jones. Frisk never wanted to dwell on that part of her life, but I’ve never really felt comfortable knowing someone like Hector Halliburton was still out in the world somewhere. My husband and I have for some time employed a number of privet investigators to try to find him, but it’s been difficult since, for Frisk’s sake, we’ve had to keep any inquiries into the man quiet. But, since you seem to already know about it, there’s really no point in keeping it a secret anymore, is there?”

“So you knew she was physically and mentally traumatized and still allowed her to handle your political affairs?” asked a bald man with a salt and pepper beard. 

Toriel leveled the man with a withering glare that made him flinch back, “I accepted the aid of a strong willed woman who has overcome great adversity to help us in our time of need. Make no mistake; every monster alive knows the debt owed to my daughter. If we can find and bring to justice this Halliburton, then it will only be a small token of our thanks.” The white furred monster returned her gaze to Tabitha Jones and smiled again, careful not to show the points of her teeth, “Ms. Jones, would you be so kind as to accept a request for a private interview?”

The reporter beamed, “A-absolutely!” 

Toriel nodded briskly, “Good. Relay a location and time you would like to meet to my secretary and I’m sure we can work something out. Something on the weekend or after school hours please. I have classes to teach you know.”

The goat monster returned to her husband’s side, ignoring the nervous looks both he and her son were giving her.

The press core erupted with questions, each one shouting fervently into the din, demanding answers. Rex tried to call them to order but they were beyond that. He finally gave up, thanking them for their time and ending the conference leading the other monsters off the small indoor stage and through a side door.

Frisk just blinked at the screen as fear ran rampant through her mind. All of her work had been for nothing. Everything was out in the open. The humans, what would they do? Would they kill everyone she cared about in a fear induced frenzy? But maybe Undyne was right. Maybe it would be okay. Maybe there were enough good people in the world who would see that the monsters were good even if they didn’t abide conventional rules of propriety. 

No, it always came back to fear. If the humans didn’t think they could trust the monster’s morality would they allow them to live? Would they begin to worry that if monsters weren’t above reproach then they might partake in soul eating as well? 

The large flat screen was filled suddenly with an image of a face she’d only seen in her mind for years now. Cold gray eyes peered at her through thin, black wire glasses, his light brown hair cut and styled to exact specifications. Someone at the news station had found an old picture of Hector Halliburton and plastered it all over the screen. In her mind she could almost hear the ice in his voice, “Failed another Family have you? They’ll abandon you too, though this time it will be for their graves.”

Darkness ate at her sight until there was only a small shaft of light left to her, a window to freedom she could never reach, a tall staircase, a locked door, and knowing that once again she was useless to everyone she served.


	23. Politics, Polyamory, and the Joys of not Giving a Fuck

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: This is such an information storm. Blarg. Fun stuff to come next week ^_^  
>  **Warning:** little bit of heavy petting... Asriel/Frisk.  
>  Poor Sans, I swear I’ll get to him eventually!

Frisk found it strange that she was becoming so well acquainted with the look of the ceiling over Papyrus’s bed. Not that it wasn’t a nice ceiling- a warm, pale yellow, sunny and inviting much like the owner of the room.

“Hey,” came a deep murmur of a voice, one she recognized but one that did not belong to the owner of the room.

The drowsy brunet looked over and found Asriel sitting at a desk just putting down a work tablet.

“Hey,” she said back, blinking the last of the sleep from her eyes.

The white furred monster came over to sit on the edge of the bed. “I heard you fainted. How are you feeling?”

“A little hung over,” she grumbled, pushing a few stray hairs from her face.

“You’ve always been such a lightweight,” Asriel mused handing her a glass of water and some ibprophen.

She took them gratefully, sitting up and grumbling at the sharp increase in the pain in her head as she elevated, “How long have I been out?”

“Not too long. A few hours maybe.”

Frisk took the pills and downed the water, her body greedy for the small hydration to help her heal, “Is everyone still out there?”

Asriel shook his head, “Sans is sleeping in his room because he kind of wore himself out teleporting too much today, Mettaton is staying at a hotel, and Papyrus and Undyne are out buying a new front door for the house.”

Her blue eyes looked pensively at the door, “I’m not sure if I’m glad I get a little more time to collect myself, or if I’m terrified that they’re out of my sight where I can’t protect them...”

Asriel gently took the empty glass from her hand setting it down on the nightstand and filled the space the cup left with his paw, holding her hands lightly. “It’s going to be okay.”

“Don’t lie to me Asriel, it’s not helpful.” Her voice was quiet and brittle with an already building tension. “Chara may have been more clever than me, but it was still my body, the body of a malnourished girl with a hand full of toys and still I killed so many... I... god, this can’t be happening!” Her eyes burned with emotion as fear ate at her mind.

“Hey, calm down, it **is** going to be okay. It’s different now. There are monsters all over the world now, not all jam packed into one tiny cave like fish in a barrel, and we’ve got many human allies as well. It’s going to be rough for a while but we’ll get through it.”

“How are you not more freaked out than this?” She said gripping his paw tightly, “I would have thought you out of everyone-“ her teeth clamped around her words as hurt bloomed over the Prince’s face. “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean...”

“No, it’s okay,” he said softly, garnet eyes falling to their clasped hands. “You’re right, more than anyone, I do understand how easy it is to turn a monster into so much dust.” He shook his head, “Even so, I have to believe that we can overcome this. Under the mountain, people had lost hope, lost a lot of their will to fight after being imprisoned for so long. I think being on the surface and soaking up some of that yellow sun has made us stronger -able to leap tall buildings in a single bound even, because we’ve got hope in our new lives, and more than that we’ve got our liberty back, and I’ll be damned if we’re not going to fight like hell in pursuit of our happiness.”

Frisk blinked, “Are you doing a mashup of the Superman intro and the US Declaration of Independence?”

A smile tugged at the corners of the goat monsters lips as he cheekily peeked up at her, “Maybe just a little.”

“I forget what a dork you are sometimes,” she said with a soft snort of a laugh.

“Yeah, but you caught it, so how big of a dork does that make you?”

“No, that just means I’m a dork lover, not an outright dork. Much more acceptable,” she insisted.

He leaned into her placing a chaste kiss on her lips, “Yeah, right.” He buried his face in her neck, nipping at the skin playfully. Frisk flinched back laughing at the tickle of the action, but her laughter was soon cut off by a pained huff as her headache reasserted itself.

Asriel hastily pulled back, concern painting his face, “I didn’t hurt you did I? I’m so sorry.”

Frisk shook her head, “Stop it, you didn’t do anything. My hangover is just being stubborn.”

“Hmm.” Asriel kicked off his shoes, “Scoot forward.”

She obliged and the tall goat monster climbed into the bed behind her, stretching a leg out on either side of her body. Once he had situated himself comfortably on the back board of the bed, Asriel pulled her back to have her rest her head on his sternum. Gently, he began to rub at her temples and she sagged gratefully into the motion.

“Better?” he asked.

“Much,” she murmured softly.

Frisk melted into the massage, her eyelids drooping as she simply enjoyed the feel of being surrounded by his soft warmth. “God that feels wonderful,” she sighed heavily.

“Well, enjoy it now, because you’ve got your own press conference to attend tomorrow afternoon to talk about your resignation,” Asriel said softly.

Frisk grunted her annoyance.

“And mom agreed to have a third party doctor give you a check up to prove that you’ve been taken care of and also a therapist is going to talk to you.”

“Of course, doesn’t that just sound peachy.”

“Hey, you’re the one who wanted the attention on you. Well, you got it. It’s not mom’s fault that reporter found out your secret.”

“That attention was supposed to keep the spotlight off of you and... god, it was really all for nothing! Lost my job, my reputation, all gone for nothing!” Her hands curled into fists where they rest on his thighs, twisting the dark fabric of his slacks in her grip.

His hands stilled and she felt his muzzle sit on the top of her head.

“I’m so sorry,” he murmured. “If I hadn’t been such a jealous idiot, none of this would have happened.” His arms snaked around her shoulders pressing her body into his, “I was just so scared of losing you and now, because of what I did, you set this awful plan into motion which would have stolen years from us.” His grip tightened around her, “I’m glad Rex ruined it all. I wish I’d had the nerve to do it myself.”

Frisk sighed and pat his arms where they encased her chest and shoulders, “You monsters, the lot of you are too damn reckless. God help me, I love you for it, but it terrifies me too. It just takes one crazy, determined, fuckwit to destroy everything and now-“

“Now what? Now they have more reason than before to kill us?” Asriel snorted, “There will always be idiots in the world and they don’t need a reason to do evil. Plenty of awful things have happened before and more will happen later. If they choose to hurt people then there was probably nothing we could have done to stop it in the first place. All we can do is try to put some good back in the world and that means standing together, proud, unapologetic.”

“Tell that to Tsunderplane and Marko,” Frisk said wearily. “Or any of the hundreds of other human/monster couples out there who are going to be affected by this little show of comradery. I don’t see how the Sapient Equality act is going to go through now with all this drama floating around.”

“The Monster Kingdom recognizes them, isn’t that enough?”

“You sound like the opposition. Geeze, didn’t I just have you on a talk show with a couple who was supposed to illustrate why it’s so important that the human countries recognize their relationships?”

Asriel winced, “I kind of ducked out of it early after I saw part of that video with you and Mettaton.”

“Of course you did,” Frisk sighed. “Listen, you all can call yourself the ‘Monster Kingdom’ all you want, but legally speaking, on the surface, you have no sovereign land of your own. Some monsters have property, but it isn’t the same. You’re all technically citizens of the human countries, which was only granted through a lingering guilt over your imprisonment and a curiosity about what magic can do for the humans. That means that, overall, Monster law doesn’t mean squat. A monster/human couple gets none of the legal protection and rights that a human couple would receive. That means that if there is some kind of emergency and they happen to run into some bigoted prick, that prick can make their lives miserable-- even stealing any chance they might have to say goodbye to their loved ones if there’s some medical emergency. In general, it also creates a bias, treating monster/human couples as less than strictly human couples which only helps to foster discrimination. And that’s not even going into issues of adoption, economic ramifications, and the psychological effects to those denied such basic rights.”

Asriel let out a long breath, “Fuck.”

“Fuck indeed,” Frisk nodded. “I should have known Rex would never get with the program and play along. He’s too much of a romantic. Standing up for your friends, owning your beliefs, not backing down against terrifying odds – that all sounds good and is knobble and all of that, but for the long game, to ensure everyone’s safety and happiness-- not just the wellbeing of a few, but truly everyone-- that takes a lot more cold hearted ruthlessness than Rex can palate.”

“Maybe that’s for the best too,” Asriel rumbled.

Frisk frowned and was about to say something but the goat monster hurried forward, “I mean, all this scheming, backbiting, and verbal sleight of hand just to be allowed our basic rights as intelligent living beings, it doesn’t seem right. If we have to prostrate ourselves like this, if we have to turn away from our friends just because we’re afraid the humans on mass won’t be happy with them, if we have to pretend to be something we’re not, is it really worth having?”

Frisk shrugged, “That’s just how politics work.”

Asriel snorted, “Well it’s dumb.”

“Yeah, it really is.” She closed her eyes miserably, “Can we talk about something else please. I’m getting depressed.”

He brought his hands back to her temples, massaging them as he searched for a new topic of conversation. A bashful smile stretched his maw as something in particular came to mind, “Did you know that Undyne blushes green?”

Frisk blinked, “Really?” She thought a moment, “I’m sure I’ve seen her blush red before.”

“Nope, not today anyway. Today it was a bright neon green.”

“Huh,” Frisk narrowed her eyes, “What did you do to make Undyne blush?”

“Hey, it wasn’t me, it was Papyrus.”

“Oh god, what did he do?” she asked, not sure if she really wanted an answer.

A soft chuckle shook the monster, vibrating his chest pleasantly against her back, “Well, before he and Undyne went off to go shopping, Papyrus pulls me aside and, in what I’m sure was supposed to be his version of a whisper, tells me that since you’re going to be staying with him and his brother for a while he wanted me to know that he didn’t mind if we used his room to be intimate as long as we clean up after ourselves and to try to keep the noise levels down so his brother can rest.”

Blood rushed to her cheeks turning them an outrageous shade of pink, “He did not say that!”

“He absolutely did. Could have knocked me over with a feather after I heard that, I was so shocked, and he was just as cheerful and bright eyed as ever, as if it was nothing at all.” Asriel hummed, his smile widening, “I think I get why you like him so much. It’s hard not to be taken by someone so... sweet.”

“Oh really?” Frisk said, tilting her head to try to catch his eye. “Are you developing a crush?”

“God, I hope not. I’m having enough trouble managing my love life as it is.”

Frisk settled back against her lover, “I never did ask, what did Muffet and Doggo think of your proposal? I’m kind of surprised they didn’t object to the idea before you went through with it.”

Asriel went very quiet.

“You didn’t tell them, did you?”

The red eyed monster swallowed and shook his head, “No, that would have been way too intelligent a thing to do. My brain was long gone at the time.”

“I take it that it went over badly when they saw it on the news then.”

There was a brief pause before his quiet answer emerged, “Muffet left me.”

“Asriel, I’m so sorry,” she said hugging at the legs that surrounded her.

He shrugged, “I was an ass. She was right, I was treating her like she was second best, like some fling on the side and that wasn’t what she signed on for. I don’t blame her for dumping my sorry behind.”

“And Doggo?”

“He’s not happy, but he said he’d stick around a while longer if I commit to spending more time with him and if I try to be more open and honest with him. We’re taking it a day at a time and seeing how it goes.” Asriel shifted his hips into a more comfortable position, “We’ve got a date set up for next Thursday. We’re going to some concert for a band he likes. I guess they’re playing out in the desert for some reason. Not really sure what it’s about but I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

“That’ll be a nice thing to do for his birthday.”

Asriel froze, “What now?”

“Today is the eighth, right? So next Thursday,” she quietly redid the math in her head a little more slowly, “yeah, that’ll be Doggo’s birthday.”

“Oh no.”

“You didn’t know?”

“I forgot!”

“And you just happened to ask him out to a concert he likes on his birthday? Maybe subconsciously you-“

“He asked me.”

“Oooh no,” Frisk agreed. “He totally knows you forgot his birthday, on top of everything. Wow.”

His white paws gripped her shoulders as he thought franticly, “What do I do? How do I-“

“Well, what does he like?” she asked trying to be helpful.

“Smoking and fellatio,” he said succinctly. 

It took all of her willpower not to giggle at that response. Instead, she swallowed her laughter and said, “I think it’s fairly obvious what you should do then. Get him a new pipe or some really nice cigars, and buy yourself some knee pads.”

“Knee pads? For the groveling?”

Frisk pat his hand on her shoulder, “I would hope that your mouth would be too full for much talking, but yeah, that too.”

“Wha?...” realization dawned on him, “Oh! God I’m dumb today.”

She shrugged, “It’s been that kind of week for me too.”

“You really think that will work? That he’ll forgive me?”

“I think it’ll be a start.” Frisk rest her hand on his thigh, rubbing at it carelessly, “He hasn’t left you yet, which means he must really be fond of you, but there aren’t going to be any quick solutions I’m afraid. Relationships like the ones we partake in are complicated and take a lot of time and effort. That’s probably why most of mine have ended badly, I’ve always got too much going on to put in the hours to make a relationship work. Really, you need to ask yourself, can you commit to putting in the time to make it work with Doggo, or are you just stringing him along until he finally gets fed up?”

Asriel didn’t hesitate, “I’ll make the time. He’s a great guy and I really want to do right by him. I already screwed up badly with Muffet but I won’t make that mistake again.”

“Good answer,” she said with a soft smile. The warmth of the expression was short lived, however, as a new worry entered her head, “Since we’re talking about relationships, there’s something I wanted to let you know about.”

“You’re adding someone to your dance card, aren’t you?”

She pursed her lips momentarily, “Maybe, I’m not sure yet, but I wanted to talk to you about it before anything happened.”

The monster slid one arm around her waist and draped the other down her shoulder and arm, solidly clasping her to him, “Who’s the lucky guy or girl?”

Frisk fidgeted, “Sans.”

Asriel snorted, “I was under the impression you were already seeing him.”

“No, he’s not sure he could be with someone who’s also with his brother. And then there’s the whole remembering that I killed everyone he ever cared about, thing. We still haven’t had that talk and that might change how he feels also.”

“Huh,” he said, rubbing his muzzle into the top of her head. “I’m still not convinced you should tell him about what went on under the mountain. I don’t see how it will help anything and Chara said-“

“Chara said a lot of things, most of them were lies to get us to do what he wanted.”

“Not all of them were lies,” he murmured. “The fact that I’m here with you now proves that.”

Frisk inclined her head slightly in acknowledgement, “I know, but I still want to tell Sans. I feel like I owe it to him.”

With her head tilted, Asriel gained access to the slender length of her neck and he lifted her slightly in his arms to bury his face there, devouring the scent of her skin. “You don’t owe him anything, but if it really means that much to you, then so be it. I don’t have to like it though.” He pressed a kiss onto the steady pulse in her arterial vein before rumbling, “Thank you for talking to me about it first, even if we don’t agree.”

She nodded pushing into the side of his face with her cheek enjoying the feeling of his course fur on her skin. 

Frisk smiled at the distinct warmth that was beginning to press into her lower back and reached up to caress his jaw, “How much longer do you think Papyrus and Undyne will be gone for?”

The hand that had been around her waist slid down to grip high onto her inner thigh causing the woman in his arms to gasp happily. 

“Plenty long enough,” he said, a heavy rumble in his throat making his words thick. 

“I was hoping you’d say that,” she murmured, shifting her hips and resting her legs over the top of his thighs, opening herself to him even as he pressed his hand into the thin layer of her leggings which separated him from her sex. “I’ve missed this – us.”

“Me too,” he purred, a resonant growl shaking his chest as the woman upon his lap began to rock her hips pushing up into his hand then back into his growing heat. “Let me show you how much.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ..... this chapter is getting a bit long. I think I’ll save the smut for next week ^_^.


	24. Strong Enough to be Vulnerable

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What am I even doing anymore? I’ve no idea. This is super free form and just me trying to write something because writing is like pulling teeth today. Arg!
> 
>  
> 
> Warning: vaginal intercourse, restraint play, dominant submissive play, cervix massage

Hands, fur, skin, and the soft strangled noises of the woman who writhed upon his lap as she so desperately tried to stay quiet for the sake of the napping monster in the adjacent room, it all stoked the fire of Asriel’s heat to an unexpected intensity. He didn’t remember what had happened to their clothing, lost in a frantic and needy bid for closeness. Soon enough, however, they found themselves in much the same position that they had begun in, minus the restraint of cloth, Frisk sitting on his lap with her back to him and Asriel softly gripping at her hips as she lowered herself onto the black curve of his erection. Her walls slid around his member in a sweet pull of flesh that was almost nostalgic to him. It had been so long since they’d actually had the time to fuck in a proper bed and not franticly against a wall in some abandoned room between meetings, so he wanted to take his time, enjoy crafting this memory with her, because it was hard to say when the next opportunity might present itself. Asriel smiled blissfully as he watched his lover raise herself up over him only to return down in a deliciously metered rhythm as she molded his building pleasure with her body, bringing him ever closer to that wonderful peek.

She was such a tiny little thing, it was almost like seeing a magic trick as he watched his erection disappear within her. How this delicate woman had such unending stamina and drive, he’d never been able to uncover, but every day he was with her he thanked his lucky stars that she’d come into his life.

Asriel slid his hands up her waist, lightly pressing the pads of his paws into her gold hued skin. He traced the lines of muscle in her back, the faint shadow that split her from neck down to her hips indicating her spine, that adorable little triangle indentation in her skin that formed just above the rounded swell of her ass. There were other lines on her back, faint and barely visible over years of healing. He wouldn’t have noticed them had he not been looking for them in the dim light of the room. As his hand traced the old scars he made the promise he always made when he saw them, that he would protect her and keep her safe. Something cruel laughed in the back of his mind reminding him of what an absolute catastrophe he’d brought to her so far. Why she put up with his madness he couldn’t fathom. He frowned, pressing his lips together and made another promise, one he knew he could keep, a promise to do better. Frisk leaned back slightly into his gentle hands and he smiled warmly, leaning forward to kiss at her neck. 

A loud bubbling purr rumbled through his body, an involuntary reaction to her work. Even so, Frisk glanced back at him with a frown, though it only made his smile widen at the bright blush that colored her cheeks. 

“Hush,” she chided breathily, “we-we’re supposed to be keeping the noise down.”

He laughed softly, “Can’t help it. This is just too good.”

She tried to keep herself from smiling back at him but ultimately failed, choosing instead to hide her face by looking back ahead of her and concentrating on her movements as the muscles that gripped her lover tightened and released him at her command. There was something very satisfying in being so in control of her body, in dictating the constriction of her form around his length to rend breathy sounds of pleasure from his body. Distantly, she thought it was unfortunate that the joy of control also meant the discipline of concentration and so her own pleasure was somewhat dulled as she focused on her lover’s needs. That was alright though. Today wasn’t a day to be greedy. Satisfying one desire at a time was enough. To be wanted, to be skilled at reading her lover’s body and stoking his heat, that was today’s goal and that was enough.

Perhaps feeling that Frisk was not enjoying herself as much as he, Asriel’s paw reached up and gingerly kneaded at her breast, softly massaging at the mound of pert flesh, though careful not to let his claws touch her. Her breath hitched and she pressed a hand into the paw over her breast, pushing it down into the skin.

“Harder,” she murmured.

He obliged, though was still careful not to prick her with the tips of his talons. A soft pleasured keening rewarded his efforts and he nuzzled his face into her back affectionately. Gently, he pulled his other hand over her stomach meaning to slide down to find her clitoris though brail and stimulate her further. The muscles in her stomach flinched at the too soft touch, tickling her unpleasantly.

Frisk stopped her work and gripped the paw on her stomach tightly with a hard huff of a breath.

“Too soft,” she grumbled sounding annoyed. “You’re tickling me.”

“Sorry,” the white furred monster said abashed. “I just didn’t want to hurt you with my claws. They’re kind of long right now.”

Frisk paused for a long moment, watching him from over her shoulder with a penetrative look in her eyes before returning her gaze forward, “Is that really the reason? Because the way you’re touching me feels like you’re afraid of breaking me, and I can’t take that right now. I don’t want to be reminded of how weak I am, not today. I-”

Her words were stolen by a startled yelp as Asriel lifted her off of him and slammed her back against the bed. In one paw he took her wrists, holding them down above her head as he loomed above her, his red eyes narrowed and hard.

“Don’t,” he growled. “You don’t get to spout garbage like that.”

Wide blue eyes blinked back at him, “What are you-“

“You are not weak but neither am I and I will not be chastised for being careful with you.” An angry huff escaped him as he pressed closer to her, using his free hand to place the tips of his claws on her sternum, “All I ever hear from you anymore is about how weak everyone is -- you, me, the entire goddamn monster race -- and I’m sick of it! We’re not weak. Being mortal doesn’t make us weak and being able to kill doesn’t make humans strong.” He pressed his claws into her skin, just enough to hurt but not brake the surface. He could actually feel her heart as it began to hasten its tempo, the pulse drumming against the points of his talons. “I could crush your ribs and pull out your heart right now and it would take nothing at all, just a moment’s focus of magic. I could do it to every human I meet, but that wouldn’t make me strong. I’m beginning to wonder if you even really know what strength is or if you’re still just parroting what those freaks that treated you like property drilled into your skull. Stop listening to them and listen to me! You are strong, you are powerful, and I won’t listen to any words that say otherwise!” In his passion his voice had raised so that he was practically yelling in her face, a ferocity of will burning in his eyes.

Frisk quietly gnawed at the edge of her lip as she tried to keep her wits about her, her breath coming in short quick bursts, her heart unwilling to do anything but race. 

“Show me then,” she murmured. 

“What?” he asked rearing back slightly. 

“Show me that you think I’m strong. Prove it!” she demanded pushing her chest up into his hand causing the points of his claws to pierce her before he could lift them away. If her heart was going to race then she decided she was going to ride it. The adrenalin that sharpened her senses, the prickle of fear that touched the edge of her mind, she would take it and make it her own. “Fuck me or get the hell off and I’ll do it myself.”

Asriel’s eyebrows went up as a strangled snort of laughter escaped him, “Is that so?”

Frisk glared into his eyes trying to seem resolute even as her cheeks burned up red with embarrassment. 

“Well then,” he said as he reached down coaxing her thighs farther apart so he could maneuver up closer to her, “I’d say you started it, but I suppose that doesn’t really matter.”

“Glad we agree on something,” Frisk huffed as she felt the tip of him press against her entrance once more.

Asriel hummed his assent before a wicked grin stretched his maw, “Don’t take this the wrong way, I know we’re supposed to be quiet, but I’ll be damned if I’m not going to try to make you scream.”

“Rule breaker,” she said with a grin of her own. 

“Hey, I didn’t say you shouldn’t try to resist.” Abruptly, he pressed himself into her, sinking down into the warmth of her flesh causing her arch back and bite down on her own lips to stifle her vocalization. He smiled, “It’s no fun if you make it too easy.” 

Even with her legs spread wide to accommodate his hips, she managed to press her heals into the bed lifting herself into his frantic thrusts. Her body trembled in that exquisite suffering as his length reached her cervix pressing into it in a most intimate massage. Rolling burbling throngs of heat induced growling vibrated the monster above her pressing into and through her. She gazed into those red eyes and demanded more, demanded all of him, and he most happily gave moving as though he were trying to fuck her into the mattress itself. The savory metallic taste of blood appeared in her mouth and she realized that she must have broken the skin on her cheek biting down trying to keep herself quiet. Pleasure and panic entwined within her and suddenly she discovered she had wont of more. Her wrists still clasped in Asriel’s paw, she pulled at them the muscles in her shoulders and arms working to free herself to no avail.

Asriel surveyed her questioningly, “Do you want me to let you go?”

She shook her head swiftly.

His eyebrow raised, “Then why are you struggling?”

She had to swallow heavily before she could answer, words fighting past a fog of pleasure, “Because I know you’re strong enough to hold me down.”

Red eyes widened momentarily before a sharp grin pulled upon his lips, “That’s right, I am. I won’t let you go, not until you’ve had your fill because I know you can take it.”

“God yes!” she breathed through tightly clenched teeth her head pressing back into the mattress as her body began to build toward that final release. 

Even with her jaw clasped shut, Frisk’s hot and pleasured keening filled the air as fire burned up her spine. Asriel pressed his mouth to hers and she opened for him, his warm and agile tongue pressing into hers. As he knew she would, her body climaxed and a shout of moaning pleasure erupted from her, which he happily swallowed, dulling the sound as best he could with his deep and wanting kiss. Still erratically pumping deep within her, the final tight constriction of her orgasm around him brought him sputtering hard, his magic bursting into her in hot liquid ropes.

Totally spent he sagged heavily over her, breaking their kiss to pant over her body, golden skin glistening with sweat. Asriel released her wrists, planted a gentle nuzzling kiss on her cheek, and then flopped down face first onto the bed beside her.

“So,” he huffed, “we... we understand each other?”

Frisk rolled onto her side to look her lover in the eye, “Do we?”

“Frisk,” Asriel grumbled.

She rolled back to gaze up at the ceiling, “I...I know what strength is.”

He raised his head to look at her a moment then dropped back down and simply waited for her to finish.

“Strength is power, control, intelligence, and basically everything that I’m not.” She closed her eyes tight, “I don’t know how you could ever confuse me for someone who has any of those things.”

The goat monster laughed, “You, bucko, are one hundred percent wrong. Man, I’ve never heard something so wrong in my life. If there was an award for wrongness, you’d win in a landslide.”

Frisk frowned, “Alright smart ass, what do you think strength is then?”

“Strength,” Asriel rumbled softly, “is showing mercy and affection even when you have no reason to – even when people are trying to kill you and even when you’d never been shown any yourself.” He blinked rapidly for a moment, his garnet eyes softening around the edges as he sighed, “Frisk, you came to the underground after spending most of your life being told that you were nothing and you met monsters who, largely, were trying to kill you and take your soul, and you did your best to show nothing but kindness to everyone you met.”

“I came to the mountain to die. How was letting others do the job for me strength? The only reason I didn’t succeed in dying was because Chara didn’t want to give up his vessel at the time.”

“It wasn’t Chara who charmed the underground. I knew Chara and he may have been smart but he was about as charming as a brick to the face. It wasn’t him that went around dancing and flirting and hugging their way into everyone’s hearts, that was all you.”

A blush burned at Frisk’s cheeks and she glared hard at the goat monster, “That... that was just out of control hormones and me realizing that no matter what I did I couldn’t die. It was an embarrassing display of propriety abandoned.”

“So you got the ability to turn back time and outmaneuver death, and your big power crazed bid was to admit to folk that you liked them?” His eyes flattened as he deadpanned, “Wow, you’re a real psycho. How did we ever survive your reign of terror?”

“Oh shut up,” she huffed turning back to the ceiling and taking a light swipe at his shoulder or at least the general vicinity of his shoulder. 

Asriel snatched the hand she waved at him and held it to his chest, drawing her eyes back to him. “Maybe it’s not one thing then. Maybe it’s a bunch of little things that make a person strong. And yes, maybe I have been nervous about hurting you, and maybe that does undermine something of your confidence. I’ll try to do better, but you’ve got to try too. Try to believe in yourself, that you have power in the love you so freely give, that you are in control of yourself and the actions you take, and that you are clever enough to figure out how to bring joy to so many, but also know that occasionally relying on the people who care about you in no way makes you weak. It just means that we’re all lucky to have found each other. Okay?”

Frisk smiled pulling herself closer to him, pressing her forehead to his, “Okay, I’ll try.”

“Good,” a weary sigh escaped him and it seemed that something heavy had been removed from his mind and Asriel allowed himself to sink into the feel of her body pressed against his.

The copper haired women wiggled her nose as a light worry entered her mind, “Do you think we woke up Sans?”

Asriel blinked, “I don’t know.” He turned his head to the wall that separated Pap’s room from his brother’s and barked, “Hey, Sans, you awake?”

Frisk squeaked, shushing Asriel as he laughed heartily. 

The laughter however was shut off as a gravely baritone answered through the wall, “Naw, I’m totally dead asleep. Couldn’t raise my bones with a forklift.” 

Asriel laughed harder and Frisk called back through the wall, “Sorry Sans.”

There was a grumble through the wall and Frisk dissolved into giggles as well.


	25. The Medicinal Properties of Friendship

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alternate Title: Everyone Loves Papyrus 
> 
> Warning: unnecessary alliteration, dick jokes, talk of ruff sex (not much though)

When Papyrus and Undyne returned with a new front door, they found Sans showing Asriel how to use the washing machine.

“What are you dweebs up too?” Undyne called over to them, taking down the sheet of heavy plastic she’d taped up over the entry way to keep the bugs out of the house.

Asriel smirked wickedly, eyes half lidded, “Oh just cleaning up.”

Undyne blinked before her cheeks turned bright green and she stammered, “Pap, where are those tools you said you had? Pap!”

Asriel laughed as Undyne made a hasty escape back out the doorway in search of Papyrus. 

“What’s got her goat?” Sans asked arching an eyebrow ridge at the retreating form of the fish monster.

“Just something your brother said earlier, don’t worry about it,” Asriel snickered.

Sans opened his mouth to protest, but thought better of it at the last second. He decided he probably really didn’t want to know what made the gritty, hell beast, former captain of the royal guard blush like that, especially if it was something his brother had done. Not for the first time that week, Sans found himself caught off guard by the surreal feeling that maybe he didn’t know his own brother as well as he thought he did.

The stout skeleton’s thoughts were stalled by the sound of another car crunching up the gravel driveway and through the wide open doorway he spotted an enormous hot pink pickup truck as it came to a stop in front of his house. Sans didn’t know why he was surprised when Mettaton stepped down from the behemoth, pulling a number of mysteriously full tote bags after him. 

“Geeze Mettaton, I hadn’t realized you were so butch. That car sure makes one hell of a statement,” Asriel snickered by way of greeting.

The robotic idol gave the goat monster a flat look before shrugging, “Yes, I suppose it lacks the elegance I usually prefer, but it was the only thing my people could find around here in pink.” He looked back at the oversized truck and smiled slightly, “It has grown on me though. I might just have to keep it.”

“In or out Metta?” Undyne barked, holding the new white front door decorated in iron and carried aloft, Papyrus right behind her with a toolbox that had orange flames painted on the side of it.

“Oh, sorry beauties, I didn’t see you there.” Mettaton hurried himself inside and quickly found the kitchen table to set his cargo down on.

A delightfully familiar scent wafted across Sans’s nasal cavity and his smile bounced as he watched the ghost in the machine pull out a number of carry out boxes with Grillby’s logo plastered on the top.

“I figured you beauties could use a few essentials after such an eventful couple of days,” Mettaton purred, “and I know how much Frisk adores Grillby’s.” He looked around with a frown, “She is still here isn’t she?”

“Yeah, just shower’en,” Sans said as he wandered into the kitchen to grab some plates. 

The sound of hammering and drills began to boom from the entryway as Undyne and Papyrus got down to business hanging the new door.

“How is the poor dear holding up?” Mettaton asked Asriel under the cover of all that racket. “I can’t imagine she’s happy with all her plans falling apart and just... everything else.”

Asriel stretched a pained smile onto his muzzle, “Y-yeah, she’s having a hard time of it. She’s doing alright overall if she can just bring herself to accept a little help and stop worrying so much.”

Mettaton huffed, “Asking Frisk not to worry is like asking me not to be fabulous -- a tall order indeed.”

“What’s a tall order?” Frisk asked appearing next to the pair startling them both.

“Uuuum... we are,” Asriel stammered, “the order of tall... ‘cause you seem to have a type. Me, Mettaton, Papyrus... all pretty tall guys so... I guess that makes us the o-order of the tall?... heh...”

Asriel did not see the death glare he was receiving from the diminutive skeleton who was standing right behind him with an arm load of plates and napkins. Mettaton did his best not to laugh.

“Which ... you know... is k-kind of funny since you’re so ... uh... short,” Asriel awkwardly rest his elbow on top of Frisk’s head, having to lean over a bit to do so.

She narrowed eyes at the goat monster who was suddenly feeling that he’d made a grave tactical error.

“Are you making fun of my height?” Frisk asked coldly.

“Um...” Asriel stalled.

Frisk chuckled darkly, “Oh bro, you don’t even know the world of pain you’ve unleashed on yourself.”

Taking advantage of her position beneath his arm, Frisk savagely attacked his exposed side, tickling him relentlessly. Asriel actually bleated with laughter, tripping over his own feet and quickly falling to the floor, convulsing with unbridled hysterics.

Frisk sat on top of him still tickling Asriel in every spot she knew would rend the loudest howls of laughter.

“Do you concede defeat?” she asked her own childlike mirth making her words bright.

“Y-yes! I concede! I give up- AH! Hahahaha! Mercy! Mercy, damn it!” Asriel shrieked between bouts of laughter.

Frisk punched her fists into the air triumphantly, “Winner and still champion!”

Asriel was panting, skin flushed beneath his fur, “Yeah, yeah, no time for losers ‘cause you are the champion. Now get off of me!”

“Feel’en better I take it?” Sans asked as he set down his cargo.

“Yeah, actually,” Frisk said, accepting Mettaton’s hand up. Once she was on her feet however, the possessed robot did not release her, instead scrutinizing her wrist where it peeked out from beneath the long sleeve of her purple blouse. 

“Are you alright, darling?” Mettaton asked in soft concerned tones, outlining the bruises that were beginning to blossom around her wrist with his thumb. “That looks like it must have hurt.”

Frisk smiled warmly, “I had a lot of fun while I was getting them actually and it’s nothing a little magic monster food can’t mend in a moment.”

“Minus five points for unnecessary alliteration,” Asriel grumbled as he got himself up.

“Cranky caprice can’t cope with killer cunning can he?” She shot back at him with a wink.

“My, you are feeling better aren’t you,” Mettaton grinned.

Frisk shrugged, “Strong enough to be vulnerable.”

Mettaton raised an eyebrow at that, “Oh?”

“I really do like this stuff on occasion, getting a bit ruff in the bedroom,” she murmured, pulling her sleeve back a little to examine the bruises. “On occasion, I feel like I need it, like it feeds something in me.” She paused as she searched for the right words, “I think it even shows me that I’m stronger than I think I am, with a little help from my friends.” Frisk glanced fondly at Asriel who was helping Sans set out plates and drinks around the dinner table. “The strength of a word, the release that real trust can bring...” She looked up sadly at Mettaton who seemed lost in thought, “I really can’t apologies enough for breaking that trust with you.”

He smiled waving his had dismissively, “It’s in the past, darling. I forgive you if you can forgive me for being too self-absorbed to see what was happening or the burdens you were holding up on your own.” The black haired beauty abruptly laughed, curling his arm in what had to be the daintiest version of a flex Frisk had ever seen, “After all, these guns aren’t just for show. Alphys did a wonderful job making them quite functional. I think I maxed out at lifting three tons last time I went in for a tune up.”

Frisk laughed as she pulled her sleeve back over her wrist, “Oh my, that is impressive.” 

Mettaton lavished a bright smile on the coper haired woman, metallic teeth shining brightly, “I just want you to know, as star-studded and fabulous as my life is, if you need a helping hand, I’m always glad to lend one.”

“Thanks.”

“The door is done!” Undyne announced as she and Papyrus marched into the Livingroom.

“Good,” Sans said as he took a seat at the head of the dining table with a plate heaping with food, “’cause the grub is going to get cold if it’s not eaten soon.”

Burgers, little boats of fries, green salad, and chunks of watermelon were laid out in the center of the table to be grabbed at people’s leisure. Soda, milk, and lemonade made available to quench any thirst. 

Everyone dug in hungrily, plates passed around and drinks were poured, and the busy work of feeding began.

“I’m actually surprised you guys finished the door so fast,” Sans said as he helped himself to a second burger. 

“It was a simple task for the Great Papyrus,” he grinned knocking a fist to his chest, “With the aid of the Excellent Undyne of course.”

“Excellent Undyne, I like it,” she grinned. “You guys were just lucky, there was practically no damage to the door frame when I kicked in your door. Really, though, that only means you guys had a weak ass door in the first place. This new door is made of some hard wood, solid walnut I think, with nice heavy iron hinges and bracers that are both decorative and structurally functional. If anyone else wants to bust that bad boy in, they’ll have to take out half the wall with it.”

Papyrus beamed, “Indeed, an excellent addition to our home hung expertly well if I do say so myself.”

Frisk closed her eyes tight setting down the fry she’d been about to eat. “Nope, too easy, must resist low hanging fruit.”

“What was that darling?” Mettaton asked, peering at the woman curiously from across the table.

“Nothing,” Frisk said biting at the edge of her own smile as she desperately resisted the easy words that demanded to be spoken.

“Well Papyrus, I should have known you’d be successful. If Frisk likes you so much then it’s obvious that you must hang hard wood well,” Asriel said offhandedly before taking a sip of his soda. 

Frisk turned seven shades of red hiding her face in her hands, “Damn it, Azzie, I’m a terrible influence on you.”

“Yes you are, but you weren’t saying it so I had to,” the goat monster said with a smirk holding up his fist. Frisk bumped it with her own fist even as she shook her head.

Papyrus just blinked, “I don’t get it. Why would Frisk liking me have anything to do with how well I hang a door? Frisk, do you particularly like doors?”

“Yeah, Pap, she loves them, didn’t you know?” Sans grumbled as he grabbed up an entire bottle of ketchup and downed the whole thing. 

Mettaton leaned toward Papyrus, resting his chin on the back of his cold metal hand, “It was a dick joke, darling. You have heard the phrases ‘well hung’ and ‘hard as wood’ in reference to male genitalia have you not? I suspect he is crudely flirting with you.”

Papyrus blinked at the Prince of all Monsters who only smiled charmingly back at the skeleton as an orange blush rapidly took hold of his face.

“Not that I blame him, mind you,” Mettaton continued eyes half lidded. “You’ve always been quite the cutie.”

Papyrus could only gape at that, looking bewilderedly between the electronic idol and the Prince. 

“Jesus!” Sans barked, “Isn’t there anyone here who doesn’t want to bed my brother?”

Undyne raised her hand, her face doing an incredible impression of a lime and her good eye focused solely on her food.

“Well thank god for the lesbian,” Sans grumbled and stuffed his face full of burger. 

Undyne shook her head miserably and muttered, “God damn it, this must be what Alphys feels like all the time.”

“Nyeh... heh...um... thank you?” Papyrus said to his grinning fans, “Wowzer, I didn’t think being popular would be this embarrassing.” 

Mettaton sighed waving his hand flippantly, “No one ever does, darling. You get used to it though.”

“Speaking of fans,” Frisk said as she picked up a piece of watermelon, “I’m kind of surprised you’re not traveling back to see your adoring public. Don’t you have a play to run?” 

Mettaton shrugged, “My understudy can handle it. Anyway, I wouldn’t dream of leaving town before we finished that little history lesson of yours. I’m very curious to hear how it ends.”

“Oh,” the coper haired woman said her eyes downcast, “yeah, still have to do that.”

The room grew quiet except for the nervous fidgeting of those gathered.

“Did I say something wrong?” Mettaton asked over the stillness that seemed to fall over the table.

“Frisk,” Papyrus murmured, “you really don’t have to. There’s no hurry. I know you’ve been through a lot recently.”

“Of-of course, darling!” Mettaton stammered. “I didn’t mean right now! Sorry, I was just – well, absolutely in your own time, my dear. I certainly didn’t mean to pressure you.”

Frisk shook her head turning on her lightbulb smile -- bright, cheerful, and empty as a vacuum, “No, its fine. I’d like to get it over with anyway.” She picked up her lemonade with a sigh and took a drink, quietly wishing it was something stronger than lemon water and sugar. “I mean I’ll try to explain as best I can. There was a lot about what happened that I didn’t really understand myself.”

“Wait, should I...” Undyne stammered, “Should I not be here for this? It seems like this is something personal between you all.”

Frisk shrugged, “It’s fine. I...” a soft weary laugh escaped her and she rolled her shoulders as if to shrug off some weight that was trying to settle there, “I don’t think I even care anymore. Maybe it’ll even be good to talk about it with some friends. Maybe I can leave it behind me finally.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of chapter 26 will be “Under the Mountain” 
> 
> ... arg, really annoyed that I didn’t get to explaining Chara’s plan yet. Stupid jokes distracted me.


	26. Under the Mountain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Extensive talk about the genocide run, the matrix is real, everyone is butts, the author needs a nap
> 
> So sleepy... but must post.... arg... illness sucks... *dies*

Frisks was grateful to Papyrus when he insisted that everyone finish eating and clean up the dishes and leftover food before she began her story. It gave her time to collect her thoughts and steal herself emotionally, try to distance herself from what she would have to share. When Papyrus then decided it would be best if they moved down to the Livingroom because it would be more comfortable, Frisk was thankful to have the familiarity of her own recliner to sink into. It really was much more comfortable for her, though Asriel insisted on sitting on the floor next to her which she found a little odd but she figured she needed to calm his nerves just as much as he did for her. Chara’s warning was no doubt still ringing in the Prince’s mind so when he placed a paw on the armrest of the chair, she took it and smiled warmly at him, hoping it was reassuring. However, when Papyrus then sprung back to his feet insisting that he make everyone drinks and that (in no uncertain terms) Mettaton help him, she was beginning to think he was perhaps stalling. While the two were in the kitchen, hearing Papyrus hissing a few chastising remarks to the electronic celebrity about pushing her before she was ready and that Mettaton had better behave himself from that moment on because he’d have Pap to deal with if he didn’t, did make her blush a bit despite being a little annoyed at his antics. 

Sipping at a cup of hot chocolate that had a layer of tiny marshmallows so thick it was impossible to tell if there was actually any coco in the cup until she stuck her tongue through it, she looked at Papyrus patiently to see if he would come up with another reason to delay her story. He fidgeted as though he were about to spring up once more, but Sans sat down heavily next to him on the couch, Undyne a steady wall at the orange clad skeleton’s other side.

“Ya know,” Sans said, his heavy baritone carrying coolly over the quiet room, “if you don’t want to do this just now, it really is okay.”

Frisk smiled, “Geez, make it all dramatic why don’t you.” She chuckled softly to herself, “I feel like I’m trying to remember how to explain an instruction manual I read once about a machine I’ve never seen work before and can’t quite remember what it was supposed to do in the first place. I just remember vividly how it blew up and where all the shrapnel landed.” 

Asriel squeezed her hand and she blinked realizing that she’d begun to hunch in her seat. Sighing she tried to relax back into the familiar curves of her chair and concentrated on breathing normally, “I really would prefer to get this over with, if it’s all the same to you.”

Sans looked at her uncertainly but nodded, warming his hands around a cup of coffee. 

“Okay.... um... beginnings.... man I really suck at beginnings.” She looked pensively into her cup as though she hoped to pull her words directly from the sweet liquid. “So, you know how I said that Asriel was able to get his body back after absorbing everyone’s souls somehow triggered his own soul to re-grow or something like that.” There was a lot of nodding. “Yeah, that was a lie...um... sorry. His soul didn’t just grow back, it had to be re-made.”

Sans huffed, “Yeah, I never believed that goat boy’s soul just spontaneously ‘grew back,’ but now you’re telling me you successfully made a monster soul for Asriel? How did you manage that?”

“Well, first of all, I didn’t make it, Chara did,” Frisk said softly. “And-“

“Alright, stop,” Sans ordered putting up his hands, “Who the hell is Chara?”

“Sans,” Papyrus hissed, “stop interrupting her. This must be difficult enough without you asking all these questions.”

“No, it’s okay, Pap,” Frisk said shifting in her seat nervously. “It’s good actually. I’d rather do this as few times as I have to, so if you have questions, yeah go ahead and ask now.”

Sans nodded, “I sort of figured this was a onetime deal. If you’re going to do it then I’d better make sure I understand everything now. So, Chara, who exactly is he?”

“The only Chara I’ve ever heard of was the King and Queen’s first adopted human child,” Undyne said sipping at a cup of water, “But he died years ago.”

“He didn’t die,” Asriel rumbled softly, “just like I didn’t die after I ate his soul and the humans attacked us.”

“God,” Mettaton murmured, “I remember hearing the old stories, but I guess part of me didn’t really believe it. You really ate your brother’s soul?”

Asriel’s lip twitched in an aborted smile, “We had a plan. Chara killed himself so I could take his soul, cross the barrier and get the six remaining human souls needed to finally break the barrier once and for all.” He snorted humorlessly, “I chickened out in the end. Back then, taking a life just seemed too horrific a thing to do, even if it meant I could free everyone. Chara was so pissed.” The points of his teeth shown as an unkind grin possessed his face, “Wonder what he thought of me when he realized I was that goddamn homicidal flower.”

“He mourned you,” Frisk’s voice was barely above a whisper, but the Prince’s attention was captured at once. He watched her, unsure if he wanted to demand that she tell him what she meant by that, or demand that she not speak another word. “Your gentle nature was something that he really admired and he was sad to see that you’d lost it and angry that you hadn’t just obeyed him like he thought you would.”

Asriel sighed, “Yeah that sounds about right for him.”

“So the spirit or whatever of the King and Queen’s adopted kid possessed you, is that what I’m hearing?” Sans asked sitting forward in his seat.

“Not at first, not really,” Frisk said and took a sip of her coco, distantly aware that it was already beginning to grow cold. “At first it was just that suddenly I knew things like how to read and write-“

“You didn’t know how to read?” Undyne asked sounding a bit flabbergasted. 

Frisk shrugged, “Not necessary for a house keeper to know how to read or really be educated at all.”

“House keeper...” the fish monster looked confused for a moment before realization dawned on her and a look of pain crossed her face. “Oh, yeah, I guess... I didn’t... sorry.”

The copper haired woman smiled and did her best to make the expression warm, “Its fine. Don’t worry about it.” She sipped nervously at her coco and tried to ignore the little ach that bloomed in her chest at the pity on Undyne’s face, “Um... anyway, yeah, it was strange. There was just this knowledge that I had and it was like these thoughts just started appearing in my mind. Really, I thought I was going insane for a while. Then there was every time I had to fight a monster. I was still trying to die then so I’d just... anyway, every time I succeeded, everything would go black for a while but then I’d come back and it would be like nothing had happened. How far I went back changed but it was like time would just rewind a bit too before I died and I’d have to do everything over again. It didn’t matter what I did, how I died, I always came back. I began to realize that there weren’t just strange thoughts floating in my head, that someone was talking to me, that there was someone sharing my body and he wasn’t going to give it up over a silly thing like death. He was far too determined for that.”

“You died?” Papyrus asked softly. “You remember dying? I don’t- I...”

“Yes, I remember every time I died. I’m glad you don’t. It’s not pleasant,” Frisk murmured.

“No, I...” the lean skeleton fidgeted but seemed to find the words he wanted to say, “I still don’t understand why you were trying to kill yourself. You were free of those terrible people who abused you and it sounded like there were humans who were trying to help you. Why did you not accept that help?”

“Well, I was a servant who couldn’t find anyone to serve. I was useless and I’d been taught that useless things were trash and trash was to be discarded. Back then, I didn’t want to be free, didn’t know what to do with it. All I knew was how to serve and if I wasn’t allowed to do that, then I believed I had no reason to exist.” Frisk chuckled humorlessly, “It’s kind of funny, Chara actually helped me out of that way of thinking. He wasn’t trying to mind you but he managed to anyway.” Finishing her coco, she set her empty cup down on the coffee table and grinned when she saw Papyrus twitch toward the cup, the dutiful host in him wanting to refill it. Sans Put a hand on his arm stilling the lanky skeleton and allowed Frisk to continue her story. 

“Once Chara found out that Asgore was collecting human souls to break the barrier and destroy the human race, he was hell bent on getting me there, told me my death could mean something and that if freeing the monsters meant he had to give up his vessel he’d be okay with that. However, when we finally reached the throne room, he couldn’t bring himself to let us die. Chara claimed that he didn’t really believe that Asgore had it in him to slaughter the human race so he believed sacrificing us would be pointless, but I think he was just scared of dying. The idea of returning to the surface and living among humans didn’t really appeal to Chara so he sent us back to the beginning, rewound time to the point that I’d first dropped into the underground, but this time, since he was in no hurry to get anywhere, he let me talk to the people I met. I believed I had nothing to lose so I made quite the fool of myself, flirting and carrying on with anyone who would spend a spot of time with me. It was all terribly embarrassing really, but because I wasn’t afraid of retribution, for a while I let myself pretend I was more than my station would otherwise allow. I feared less, I hoped more, and I began to discover what it was to be a person and not a tool. I don’t think I could have done that if it weren’t for Chara.”

Asriel gripped her hand and she looked at him. He smiled at her and she tried to return the gesture, but couldn’t bring heat to the expression. Any good Chara had done was incidental, but Frisk knew Asriel liked to think well of his old friend so she let him.

“So Chara was always in charge of the shifting time line?” Sans asked.

Frisk nodded, “Yeah, I never had any control over that.”

“But it sounds like you had control over your body and your actions,” Sans voice was very thin and even and he watched the lithe woman in the recliner with hard and thoughtful eyes.

Frisk shifted uneasily, “Yeah.”

Frisk was quiet for a long while, her blue eyes down cast and a growing dread seemed to fall over the elder skeleton brother. 

“Sans.” The stout skeleton jumped on hearing his name having begun to fall into the pit of his worry. Frisk looked at him, a heavy sorrow filling her face, “Would you please summon my soul.”

“Frisk,” Asriel murmured her name anxiously, his grip on her hand vice-like by this point.

“It’s okay Asriel. It’ll be alright,” she assured. “He needs to see.”

Sans reached out to the former ambassador and drew her soul from her body. With a musical chime, the red heart appeared floating quietly in front of her.

“When Chara discovered that Flowy was Asriel, he didn’t take it very well. As it turned out, we could save everyone in the underground, free the monsters and return them to the surface... but not Asriel. We couldn’t save Asriel. Chara had me go back dozens of times re-do everything from the beginning over and over looking for a way to bring back his friend.” The coper haired woman paused, memories of finding Asriel just before he turned back into a flower flashing through her mind . He’d been hiding back in the old ruins, looking up at the hole in the ceiling where she’d first fallen into the underground. A large dark room, a faraway shaft of light, and as she’d watched him there, some corner of her mind imagined it heard a lock sliding shut and a cold voice echoing her failure. Seeing him like that, in a near replica of her own abandonment by her Family, there was no way she could leave him to suffer as she had. “Chara was very intelligent, but in an insane sort of way. He was always saying that the answer had to be in something called ‘the code’ whatever that was. He often talked about things I didn’t really understand – save points, files, glitches – it was all beyond me. Anyway, he had me read every piece of text I could get my hands on-- quantum physics, computer science, a lot of theoretical continuum stuff. I understood very little but it seemed to make sense to him somehow-- some part of his mind that even within me I couldn’t touch, couldn’t comprehend-- and eventually he came up with a plan.”

Frisk reached out tentatively to her soul, the culmination of her being, and with the tip of her finger touched it gently. The red heart seemed to shimmer momentarily, and then it shattered. 

Undyne swore, flinching back and looking like she was going to be ill. Mettaton shrieked fearfully and Papyrus looked a bit faint.

“What the hell is this?” Sans demanded staring aghast at the half of Frisk’s soul that still floated in front of her, horrified by the ragged cracked edges and fissures that ran through it.

“Mom put a glamour on my soul to make it seem whole so it wouldn’t frighten other monsters should they see it. By your reaction I think she was right to do so.” She sighed and did her best to seem calm and collected, hoping some of that tranquility would ease the monsters’ tension. “Chara said there was a way for him to use a piece of my soul to make a new soul for Asriel.” 

Sans shook his head, “This isn’t possible. There’s no way! Human souls are just too fundamentally different form Monster souls. You can hardly even use magic.”

“Chara could,” Frisk said plainly. “I think something happened to him after Asriel ate his soul. Maybe he absorbed some of Asriel’s magic or maybe he always had latent abilities, there were human sorcerers at one point even if they’re not so common these days... anyway, I’m not really sure. What I do know is that he wasn’t quite human after that and somehow he was able to do things no human ever was. Chara said that if he combined his magic with a piece of my soul then he’d be able to create a new soul for Asriel so he could be free like the rest of the monsters and return to who he was. However, in order to do any of that, Chara said he’d need me to allow him into my soul. He’d done nothing but aid me up to that point, I thought I could trust him.” 

“That’s when he took over your body?” Sans asked and Frisk didn’t miss the relief evident in his voice.

“Yes,” Frisk said softly. “He rewound time and at first I didn’t understand and then he started turning my friends to dust.” A hallow look shadowed her face, “He said all the pieces were there, they just needed to be allowed to meet and he needed a high level of violence to make it happen. Chara claimed it was the safest course of action and that when it was all over everyone would get their happy ending, but first everyone had to see hell -- trapped under the mountain, nowhere to run, nothing that could stop... me. I watched him use my hands to kill everyone we met, everyone I cared for. He did it over and over again. I couldn’t... I... “ Her voice began to crack as memories dark and violent crashed into her, rolled her with suffering, and threatened to carry her away.

“Hey, calm down,” Asriel murmured, “Frisk, everyone is okay, everyone is safe.”

“Do you need to stop?” Papyrus asked softly, “It’s okay. I think you’ve said enough. You really don’t need to go on.”

She pinched her eyes shut and shook her head, “I’m almost done, I just-“

“Why did he need to raise your LV, kid?” Sans asked in a soft but urgent voice. 

Frisk took a deep breath and tried to pull strength from emotional distance, employing old tricks to try to calm her nerves. Don’t let them see, don’t let them know, no one wants an ugly face serving at their table, “He said he had to raise my level of violence as high as he could in order to access this ‘code’ thing that he kept going on about. I don’t know what one had to do with the other, but he seemed to know that it would work, that it would allow him to erase the world that was and alter it so that he could fracture my soul without losing it so that he could craft the shard into a new soul for Asriel.”

A renewed horror overtook the stout skeleton’s face, “He erased the code? He changed it!?”

Frisk blinked looking bewilderedly up at him, “You know about code?”

Sans nodded, “Enough to know that tampering with the code could very well have destroyed not just the monsters and humans but reality as we know it.” The skeleton shook his head, “He risked erasing all of existence, just so the goat could be a real boy? Are you kidding me?!”

“But it worked!” Asriel said trying to cut through the stout skeleton’s building hysterics, “He was able to alter this code thing enough to do what he set out to do and everything turned out fine.”

Frisk tried to swallow down a swell of regret and shame that churned in her mind, working hard to seal it away. “Sans, I’m so sorry. I-“

“Did you know?” the elder brother’s words cut Frisk off, his voice hard and his eyes screwed tightly shut.

“I had no idea he had to raise my level of violence in order to get to the code. I didn’t know everyone had to die for his plan to work. I didn’t know how many times he’d have to kill everyone before he got it right. I didn’t-“

“But did you know what he was risking by altering the code?” Sans asked moving stiffly to look her in the eye.

“I...” her voice faltered as she fought to hold his gaze, struggling to shut out the panic that was building inside of her, “He seemed so sure that he would succeed. There wasn’t any doubt in him-“

“Stop!” Sans barked getting to his feet, “Just stop, I-“ he shook his head. “You didn’t know you’d have to watch him kill everyone, but you let him gamble with all of our lives, not just that, with all of existence. Of all the selfish, shortsighted, idiotic-“ an angry shout ended his tirade and he paced away from the group needing some space between himself and them. “You were the hacker weren’t you, or this Chara thing? God, how did I not catch this?”

“Hacker?” Asriel asked as he rose to his knees and wrapped a protective arm around Frisk’s stiff shoulders. “What are you talking about?”

“I used to monitor the code back in Snowdin. I was looking for-” he shook his head, “Doesn’t matter what I was looking for. I thought it was a glitch at first, but the changes became more purposeful, more destructive. A few times I was able to stop it, kick whatever it was out, but-“

“You stopped Chara from changing the code,” Asriel murmured softly and it was as though something clicked in his mind, the warnings Chara had given him about the skeleton. “You could undo what he did, couldn’t you.”

Sans glared angrily back at the Prince, meeting those cold garnet eyes that were already beginning to fill with a toxic stillness, “I should. Now that I know what to look for, I should go in and put everything back the way it was meant to be. This timeline was never meant to exist.”

Asriel slowly got to his feet, his imposing size and power stifling the room making it seem like it nearly crackled with a threatening aura. The other monsters rose as well, standing like a wall between the Prince and the skeleton.

Sans snorted a humorless laugh, “But I would never do that. I’m not like you. I wouldn’t risk destroying everything to tamper with reality like that. You’re a damn abomination of creation, but we’re stuck with you.”

“How can I know you mean that? How do I know you won’t just try to unravel everything Chara did once you’re out of my sight?” Asriel growled, a slight crimson glow edging his pupils. 

Sans blinked, squaring his shoulders at the Prince, “You’ll just have to take my word for it.”

“Hey, now, let’s all just take a moment to chill here,” Undyne said an electric fluid tension running through her body that spoke of her ability to fight.

“This isn’t a game Sans,” Asriel rumbled. “I won’t let you destroy all that Chara sacrificed for me.”

“My brother said he won’t, so he won’t,” Papyrus said stiffly. “He is a monster of his word.”

“Is he now?” Asriel murmured, “Like that promise he made to my mother to protect Frisk. Did a bang up job of that, if I recall correctly, didn’t lift a single finger to aid her. You’ll excuse me if I’m not willing to put much faith in his ‘word.’”

“Asriel, this is ridiculous,” Mettaton said, a strangled chuckle in his voice. “You can’t seriously be thinking that Sans would ever do any harm to any living soul.”

“I don’t really know what Sans would do. I don’t really know the guy that well when it comes down to it,” the goat monster said leveling Mettaton with a steady gaze. “Do you? Does anyone really. He throws off serious conversations with half assed jokes and never lets anyone know what’s really going on in that hollow head of his.” He looked back over the heads of the monsters that stood between him and the hoodie clad skeleton, “Do you seriously think I should risk this world on an unknown element like him?” A snarl curled his lips, “This is what Chara was afraid of. He knew it was you mucking up his plans. He knew you could undo everything!”

“Chara knew your determination treatment made you hungry for life,” Frisk uttered coolly. “He knew if you thought there was a serious risk that someone was going to take it away, someone else who knew about the code and had the skill to find what he had done and put it back to what it was, he knew someone like that would drive you back to the basic creature that longed only for victory and cared only about survival at any cost. That’s why he didn’t give you any specifics, just a vague warning to prevent something like this from happening. Chara knew what I would do if you threatened my new Family, Asriel.”

“Frisk!” Papyrus gasped, “What are you doing? That’s dangerous!”

The goat monster half turned back to look at the copper haired woman, his eyes going wide at what he found there. She sat forward in the recliner, eyes empty, face set in a pleasant mask, a hand outreached and curled around what was left of her soul, the tips of her fingers digging into the ragged fractured edge, and ever so slightly the rifts began to glow and widen. It had to have hurt, but her face seemed made of stone and her voice was clam and even.

“You may not think you know Sans well enough to trust him, but you know me Asriel and I know you.” There wasn’t so much as a waver in her tone as she spoke, her cold blue eyes locked onto the frenzied fire in his pupils. “When I say that if you hurt him, if you kill Sans, then you kill me too, you know I’m not making idle promises. I keep my word. Always.”

The ire went out of Asriel, the fists he’d curled his hands into released, and his shoulders sagged in a swift acknowledgment of defeat. With a sigh he slowly knelt in front of her, “Your new ‘family’ hu?” He rest a hand on her knee and she watched him impassively, “I never thought I’d hate the sound of that word so much.”

“So we-“ her voice hitched momentarily in a slight quiver though her eyes remained empty of emotion. The cracks in her soul seemed to glow just a bit brighter. “We understand each other?”

Asriel nodded heavily, “Yes, fine. Just let go of your soul and let me put it back.”

Frisk released her soul and Asriel quietly put the glamour back on it and returned it to her body.

Asriel snorted humorlessly, “You’d really give up your life for _him_?”

“The bargain I struck was that all of monster kind would be my new Family and I protect my Family, even from itself, you know that, Asriel,” Frisk’s face was still set in a pleasant mask, her eyes unblinking, her movement stiff and measured. “Chara taught me how to serve you best, and though I’m sure he would have preferred I held you above all others, that is not something I can do. It was not the contract that I agreed to.” 

“What contract?” Sans asked, watching Frisk uneasily. The way she spoke, the way she moved – Asriel may have thought he saw Chara in Frisk’s rage, but this robotic persona she had taken on, to Sans that was a much stronger incarnation of the Frisk he had met when Chara was in control. 

“One step forward, five yards back, hu?” Asriel whispered ignoring Sans. “Come on Frisk, come back to me. I’m so sorry I frightened you. Everyone is alright. Everyone is safe.”

“What contract?” Sans asked again a bit more urgently.

“Sans, will you shut up!” Asriel barked over his shoulder.

“The contract I made with the Monster Kingdom,” Frisk said plainly. “Chara explained to me that no one wanted a stupid, used up, pile of trash to work for them. Besides that, monsters had no use for a house keeper. If I wanted to work I had to be smart, I had to be cunning, I had to take on a larger task. The humans are still a threat to the monsters, and since Chara couldn’t find a way to get rid of them without risking serious damage to reality, he charged me with protecting the monsters for as long as I was able.”

The lights went out of Sans’s eyes as a new revelation fell over him. He watched her smile up at him and it was bright and cheerful, and completely empty. The face he hated seeing, the one she wore so often when she was at the embassy, the one he thought had simply been a mask to hide her true self or some manipulation by the thing that had possessed her so long ago. It was worse than that. This was the face she wore when she believed she was nothing. The pleasant, emotionless, visage of a broken spirit waiting for orders.

Asriel sighed miserably and picked up the woman’s hands, cradling them tightly in his paws, “Damn it Chara, you did know didn’t you. Mourned me?” he shook his head with an angry huff, “Right, you just didn’t want to see me with a will of my own. If you couldn’t control me, then you wanted me passive and knew just how to keep me that way, even now.”

“My goal isn’t to keep you passive,” Frisk said softly. “I just need you to remember who you are and not fall back into who you were. You’re a good man, Asriel, even if you do forget sometimes.”

“Frisk?” Asriel asked hopefully.

“Everyone is safe?” she asked him.

“Yes, everyone is safe,” he repeated back to her. 

Her eyes closed and some of the tension seemed to ease out of her, “Everyone is safe.”

The goat monster puller her unceremoniously into a tight embrace and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders burying her face in the crook of his neck.

“Don’t scare me like that,” he rumbled and she laughed, the sound wet with a heavy sob to accent it in an abrupt release of pain.

Frisk reached up with a fist and knocked him softly on the back of the head, “Don’t threaten people and I won’t have to, you big dumb jerk.”

“What in the actual hell was that?” Sans demanded. “Where did you go just then? What happened to you, Frisk?”

Gently, she pushed away from the Prince and settled back into her chair, wiping tears from her face, “Heh, yeah... sorry about that. I...um... something I learned to do a long time ago, locking away what I feel so I don’t get too overwhelmed and so I can do what needs to be done.”

Undyne looked at her uncertainly, “You just put your own very damaged soul in a vice grip and didn’t even flinch. I think there’s probably a little more to it than that.” She shook her head gravely, “I mean there’s hard core and then there’s just plain crazy!”

“I...” she pursed her lips, her shoulders hunching and her eyes downcast, “I can’t. I’m sorry... I-“

“It’s fine,” Papyrus assured, moving to sit as close to her as the couch would allow. “You obviously still need to rest some and you’ve got a full day tomorrow. It’d probably be best to call it a day.”

Frisk painted a smile onto her face, and though it was weary, at least it had some emotion behind it, “Yeah, you’re probably right.” She caught Asriel’s eye and asked, “Did you drive here?”

Asriel blinked up at her, “Yeah, Rex let me use one of the embassy cars since Sans was too tuckered out to port us back here.”

“Great, I’ll grab my duffle and we can head out,” she said getting to her feet. “Assuming you’re okay with having a guest over for a bit. If not, seeing as how it doesn’t really matter if I’m seen with the royal family now, mom and dad said they’d let me crash with them.”

“O-oh, okay, yeah,” he said, climbing up after her. “I’d be glad to have you stay.”

“W-what?” Papyrus stammered getting back to his feet, “Why are you leaving? I thought you were going to stay here for a while.”

“I don’t think that’s wise.” She looked back at Sans and he couldn’t hold her gaze. With a nod she looked back at the younger of the bone brothers and tried again to smile genuinely, some of the warmth she intended actually reaching her expression this time, “I’ll see you around though and I’ll get someone to come by and pick up my junk as soon as I can.”

She hurried up the stairs to gather her duffle bag from Papyrus’s room and with a few hasty words of farewell, left with the Prince of all Monsters trailing closely behind her.

“Actually, can we swing by my apartment first? I’d really like to pick up my car,” Papyrus heard Frisk say just as Asriel closed the front door behind him, the new sturdy latch sliding home with a loud clack. There was something very final about that sound and Papyrus blinked bewilderedly at the door, bizarrely feeling very unfriendly towards it and wondering what in the world had just happened to turn everything on its head so suddenly.


	27. Loose Ends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: violence, bigotry, psychological trauma, 
> 
> (I seriously just tagged on that first paragraph because I realized it was weird for RG 01 and RG 02 to just be at Frisk’s apartment without an explanation. Arg, rush rush rush!)

When Asriel got a text from his mother asking if he had a key to Frisk’s apartment because she was sending someone to help pack up the rest of Frisk’s stuff, neither he nor Frisk had really thought anything of it. Frisk replied to Toriel, explaining that she and Asriel were actually on their way to her apartment just then but that she wasn’t sure how much was left in the place. It was a long while before Frisk got a reply from the Monster Queen which asked that Frisk and Asriel wait for the help that she was sending. When the moving truck finally arrived and RG 01 and RG 02 got out, Frisk knew something was up. Frisk tried to get them to head over to the skeleton brother’s house to pick up her stuff since she was sure most of it was there, but they insisted that they stay close by. After all, they couldn’t guard her if they were half way across town. Frisk was not pleased. After some arguing, 02 agreed to stay in the parking lot while Frisk checked out her apartment to see if she even needed help moving, but 01 insisted he tag along to make sure she was safe.

“Mom, the new guard is supposed to be looking after you and dad. I don’t need someone following me around,” Frisk said into Asriel’s phone as they walked past the guard station just outside her apartment building, noting with some annoyance that it was once again empty. She wondered why the hell she was paying the extra security fee when there was never any security on site. There didn’t seem to be any obvious signs of reporters either though, so she decided to give security the benefit of the doubt and hope they were running off the tabloid news and not taking bribes to look the other way today. 

“My child, those paparazzi hooligans are like mad dogs. I want to make sure you’re safe while we wait for things to die down. While you’re out and about I want you to always have a guard on hand,” Toriel insisted, her tone resolute and firm. 

“It’s really not a problem little dude,” said the tall white furred rabbit in a tight black t-shirt that was doing wonders to show off his muscular build. How he managed to keep even a single white fur from showing up on the thing, she didn’t know, but as always, Brobun (also known as 01) was pristine. He smiled brightly, tipping his sunglasses forward to look over them at her, “Besides, I am a royal guard and since Queen Toriel adopted you, you’re like totally a princess or something, right?”

“That’s actually not how that works,” Frisk sighed but ultimately decided against arguing, turning her attention back to the phone, and pretending the guard was for Asriel who was actually a prince (not that the god of hyperdeath needed a guard either) “Alright fine, anyway, I just wanted to call to let you know that I’m going to be staying with Asriel for a while. Also, I had to turn off my phone because of all the garbage calls I’ve been getting. Until I get a new number just call me on Asriel’s phone.”

“Oh.” The goat monster paused for a long moment before asking, “I thought you were staying with the skeletons. Did something happen? Did the press find you there?”

“No, nothing like that. I just,” she paused running a weary hand through her hair, pushing a few stray strands out of her face, “I finally told them about... um...Chara and all of that, the real story.” Frisk glanced nervously at Brobun but he seemed to be occupied in a conversation with Asriel about his workout routine. 

There was silence on the line for a short time, “I take it that it went about as you had feared then?”

“I’ve got to say, mom, it didn’t go great,” Frisk tried to laugh it off but ultimately failed. “He knew about code.”

“Really?” Toriel seemed almost excited to hear this, “Was he able to shed any light about what this code thing is?”

“I didn’t really get to ask. He was pretty mad.” She sighed, glancing again at her companions before adding, “Listen, I’ll talk to you about it later I-“

Just as Frisk was rounding a corner to get to the elevators, a hand reached out ripping her blouse open and a bright light went off in her face, startling her enough to make her stager backward with a shout. 

By the time she looked up again and her vision cleared, she found Brobun was restraining a scruffy looking man in a brown suit, holding the guy’s arms behind his back. Around the man’s neck was a classic looking, stalk mounted flash, camera which she found kind of weird for gorilla paparazzi to be using. 

“Let go of me!” the man was shouting, “I’ve got rights! Freedom of the press!”

“Dude, you just assaulted the ambassador... uh, former. Anyway, bud, you’re going to jail,” Brobun said pulling the guy’s arm up further behind his back making him wince in pain.

“That’s not what it looked like to me,” scruffy said trying hard to regain control. “To me it looked like the monster kingdom’s finest whore taking them two at a time to her apartment.” He leered at the woman who was still just blinking in shock, “No one’s going to pay for a picture of her just walking along, but showing that much skin, everyone will know what she’s really about, ain’t that right sweet tits?”

Coming a little out of her stupor, Frisk realized her top was torn wide open and hurried to close the gap, holding the torn edges of the blouse together tightly. It was also then that she realized she’d dropped Asriel’s phone in her fright. Quietly she reached down and picked up the black, rectangular device and frowned noting that the screen was badly cracked. It did not turn back on.

“Asriel, I’m so sorry. I broke your phone,” she murmured still half in a daze and handed the device back to him.

“Wha? Oh, don’t even worry about it,” he said, tearing his death glare away from the scruffy camera man long enough to smile reassuringly at Frisk and accept the broken phone. He took of his charcoal black suit jacket and wrapped it around her, effectively covering her from neck to mid-thigh. “Brobun, do you have your phone on you?”

“Oh, sorry dude, I’m pretty sure I left it charging in the car,” Brobun said sounding a shade bashful. “I’ll haul this slime back to the parking lot and call the cops there. Scumbag Mac Slime Ball and I can have a little chat about being more respectful of his fellow man and such while we wait.” 

The man did not miss the dark threat that burbled from the rabbit monster holding him captive and a cold sweat broke out on his skin, “I-I-I’m not scared of you! The people h-h-have a right to know who this harlot really is even if I have to unmask her myself! A-a-and even if you smash my camera, doesn’t matter. It may look old, but it’s synced to my cloud account. Every picture I take is automatically saved wirelessly, s-s-so ha! You better start being nicer to me or else-“

“Dude,” Brobun barked, interrupting his tirade. He nodded at the man’s camera with a smirk, “Your lens cap was still on.”

“No it-“ the man seemed to shrink as he looked down at the camera that hung around his neck and found that indeed he had forgotten to take the lens cap off of his hipster camera -- new tech designed to look old, old enough that it still had a lens cap. “Shit.”

“Also, I’m thinking a real reporter wouldn’t stoop to such a dirty trick, trying to set up a compromising photo through brute force, so freedom of the press doesn’t really apply to you. You’re just some crazed stalker dude, hu? Maybe some nut who thought they could make some quick cash selling most unrighteous photos of Ms. Dreemurr here,” Brobun smiled darkly revealing that he had some surprisingly sharp molars for a rabbit monster. 

The man seemed to pale, “I am a real reporter! I’ve got a blog with h-hundreds of viewers! I’ll sue you, you damn savage abomination! You’re assaulting me! I was just taking pictures. I didn’t do anything wrong! It’s your word against mine and no one’s going to believe a monster over an upstanding human!” 

“You know, this is Monster Kingdome business. Maybe we shouldn’t involve the local five-oh. Maybe we should just impart some radical medieval justice on your slimy ass if you’re just going to cause us trouble anyway,” the rabbit monster said coolly. 

The man began to tremble, “Ah... I mean... no, um, no that’s not... I won’t cause any trouble.”

“Excellent choice dude!” the rabbit monster boomed with a grin and released the man. “Now march, it’s a long walk back to the parking lot.”

“Actually, Brobun, can you go with Frisk to her apartment? You were able to react much faster than I to the situation so I’d rather you stay with her just in case there are any more of these nut jobs around,” Asriel said, casually placing an enormous paw on the shoulder of slime ball scruffy to make sure he didn’t get any ideas about running off while Asriel was speaking to his colleague. “I’ll take this one back to Draggodin and make sure the authorities are called.”

“You’re the boss, dude bro,” the rabbit monster said with a half salute. “Let’s go Frisk, I’ll lead the way if you don’t mind.”

Frisk nodded, wordlessly fallowing Brobun to the elevators as Asriel took the camera man away.

The elevator ride seemed strangely long to Frisk as she stared mutely at the ground wondering if this was what her life was going to be now -- people pawing at her, attacking her, crude remarks and innuendo. She thought she’d be able to deal with it easily, something to just brush off with everything else. The life she’d led, especially before the mountain, she thought such ugliness wouldn’t have fazed her. Frisk had always been discreet about her sexual proclivities, but not because she was ashamed, she just thought that was what polite company did because not everyone agreed with her way of life. She knew there were plenty of people who wouldn’t understand her, who would demonize her, but she hadn’t thought it would bother her so much. Pulling Asriel’s coat around her like a suit of armor she realized that this was different, this kind of objectification. She’d been property before, but as long as she’d done her job she knew she was safe. Now, however, she realized that perhaps she’d been foolish to think the same rules would apply to her now that she’d been publicly labeled a whore, something she had done to herself, believing it wouldn’t matter, just another drop in the psychological cesspool of her mind. She didn’t know how to react to realizing that she had indeed had something to loose, noticing only now that it was gone.

“You okay, little dude?” Brobun asked, a concerned tone coloring his voice.

She looked up and saw that he was holding open the elevator door for her. How long had he been doing that? “Oh um... sorry, yeah, I’m fine.”

She exited and Brobun quietly fell into step next to her instead of taking the lead, though his head still swiveled as he kept an eye out, “I hope you don’t mind me saying but, uh, like, you totally don’t seem fine.”

Frisk shrugged, the motion mostly hidden by the bulk of Asriel’s jacket, “Lamenting things that I can’t change.”

The rabbit laughed, “I hear ya’, I’ve done it too, wishing I could go back in time to undo something.”

Frisk looked at the toned monster striding next to her in abject horror for a moment, before she realized that he didn’t really know he was hitting a sore spot for her. She laughed, the sound a shade crazed with the weight of memory, “No, not quite that bad yet. I just... I thought I was used to this stuff.” 

He arched an eyebrow at her laughter but seemed to shrug it off, “Heh, I never get used to people being idiots. They’re always finding new ways to be a bunch of buttheads.”

She snorted, unable to keep a surprised smile off her face, “Buttheads?”

“Yeah! Little dude, you won’t believe the crap I still get from some monsters. ‘Rabbit monsters should be with rabbit monsters and dog monsters with dog monsters’ it’s so totally bogus. I mean, like, it’s totally fine if your species is scarce but if there are more than, like, twenty of your species then god forbid you find love elsewhere. Not like it even matters. Magic doesn’t care what your species is. Put two bits of magic together and boom, new species is born easy peasy. Just some wicked crusty hold over from the old days when everyone was super uptight and lame.”

“Really?” Frisk said aghast, “How did I not know this. I knew there was some leaning toward finding a member of your own species but I’d no idea there were such prejudices.” A terrible thought crossed her mind, “God, what must they think of monster human couples? I’d always assumed it was a non-issue, everyone seemed for them. I never stopped to think... I mean no one ever said anything to me... what must they think of me?!”

“Psht, are you kidding. Dude, you’re the hero of the underground. Everyone loves you,” he laughed, clapping her on the back hard enough to make her stumble a little. “And most monsters are pretty chill with human/monster couples actually. Well, most, though yeah there are always buttheads out there.”

“Has anyone given Tsunderplane and Marko a hard time? They’ve never said anything to me but-“

“Dude, can you imagine anyone giving Tsunderplane a hard time and surviving?” Brobun laughed, but it died quickly in his muzzle, “But...uh, like, Temmie and her human Toby, I know the other Temmie’s have been giving her grief. She won’t even set foot in New Temmie Village these days because of all the crud they throw at her. I mean, it’s subtle stuff but it still hurts, ya know?”

“I had no idea. Why didn’t she ever say anything to me?”

He shrugged, “Little dude, you were already practically holding up the world on your shoulders. I’m sure she just didn’t want to bother you. Wasn’t like you needed the stress.”

“But she’s my friend, I want to be able to help my friends. I like to help my friends.”

“Yeah, well dude, same goes in reverse!”

Frisk blinked up at the sour tone that had abruptly taken Brobun and she found a scowl shading his face. He snorted, frustrated, and went over to stand by the railing that lined the walkway. It was an open air walkway, one side lined with doors to various apartments, the other looking out over the city, the horizon already beginning to take on its evening hues, clouds set on fire in brilliant gold and pink. Below stretched a lush courtyard garden area complete with a little man made river that ran through it, cutting a blue swath through the thick green foliage. The quiet call of frogs could already be snatched from the air, something that Frisk had always found peaceful. Beyond the courtyard they could even see the parking lot, the yellow moving truck standing out like a sore thumb amongst the plethora of sporty little vehicles dotting to ground. The view usually made her feel at peace, far away from everything, detached enough to be just another spectator as the world spun along. Today, however, only a pensive worry could be cultivated as she waited for the guard to speak again.

“Dude, how could you keep something like that from us?” he huffed leaning heavily on the railing. “All that stuff about being a slave, and the guy who did that to you is still out there running around scot-free! What the heck even man!”

“It’s not really something I like to dwell on,” Frisk murmured, the comforting chill of her emotional walls beginning to rise, finally lending her some strength.

“Well, that’s just tough, ‘cause I, like, thought we were friends and friends don’t let friends hide from their arch nemeses. We, like, kick their sorry behinds together and stuff!” Brobun’s nose wiggled and he raised his chin slightly, “That’s what Undyne says, and I’m with her.”

A crack formed in her wall as a genuine smile possessed her face, “I don’t really approve of brute violence most of the time, but I appreciate the sentiment. That part of my life though, I don’t really want to talk about it, so please respect that. It’s just... difficult for me.”

Brobun looked abashed, head dropped, long white ears drooping, “We are friends aren’t we, Frisk?”

She chuckled at the absurdity of the question, “Of course we’re friends.”

“Good, ‘cause, like, there’s something that I wanted to ask you...”

Frisk glanced over at him and did a double take suddenly seeing that he was playing with a little, black, velveteen box in his paws.

She snorted a laugh, “Um... that’s really not something you should say while holding a box like that.”

“Hu?” Brobun looked at the box and then at Frisk, then back at the box and realization finally dawned on him. “Oh dude, sorry! No this is for 02!”

“I figured.” The corners of her eyes crinkled as she smiled at his clumsy attempt to change the subject, though she was glad that he seemed to take her request to heart. “Sorry, I find it so cute that you still call Draggodin by his royal guard call number.”

“It’s not cute! It’s, like, a memento from when we first met-- fighting side by side, waving our weapons in synch. A most righteously epic beginning if I do say so myself.”

“So it’s a pet name then.”

Brobun gave the former ambassador a flat look, “I take it back, we are most definitely not friends.”

Frisk laughed, “Sorry, no take backs. We’re besties now.”

He snorted, trying hard to look annoyed, but ultimately giving in to his smile, “Yeah, yeah, but seriously now, Frisk, you’re the one who first helped me admit my feelings to 02. I don’t know if I’d have been able to do it if it weren’t for you. So, like, I was wondering if you’d be my best woman?”

A kind of overwhelming pride and honor filled her, crumbling whatever bricks her mind was trying to lay to shut her out of her emotions. “I’d love to, but um... shouldn’t you ask Draggodin if he wants to get married first before you start planning the wedding?”

“Oh dude, we’ve been talking about it for ages. He’s totally for it. I wouldn’t just spring this on him.”

“Good,” Frisk said quietly wishing everyone was a reasonable his them.

“Naw, man, I just...” he trailed off rubbing anxiously at the back of his neck with his free paw, “I really want to make my proposal special, you know, but I’m not sure how. Dude, I’ve been carrying this ring around for weeks hoping that, like, an opportunity would present itself or something but... I don’t know, the timing never seems right.”

“Can I see it, the ring?” 

“Oh, yeah, it’s really cool! I knew I had to get it for him when I saw it.” He snapped open the box revealing a silver band that seemed comprised of delicate knots. On closer inspection, however, Frisk realized that it was actually a snake twisting around itself before swallowing its own tail, its eye looking up at her, a small diamond subtly set into the metalwork.

“That is cool,” Frisk agreed, peering closer at the ring though mindful not to touch. Brobun was always very finicky about his stuff.

“Yeah, the guy at the store said it’s called an Ouroboros and represents, like, re-creating yourself or some such, and I really dig that, the idea that we’re going to be re-creating a new kind of life together... you know, if I can just get up the courage to ask him... and find a place to get married at, and organize the guest list, and find someone to cater, and figure out if we can afford an open bar, and find an officiator that will marry us, and ... oh god, dude, there’s just so much,” he sagged, looking suddenly weary.

Frisk thought a moment, “You know, when Marko proposed to Tsunderplane, she went absolutely mental with the wedding preparation stuff. She sent me all kinds of things to look at with her -- monster friendly venues, catering, the whole shebang. I’m sure I still have some of that stuff somewhere if it didn’t get packed away already. I’m not really sure what’s left in there. Do you want to have a look at any of that?”

“Oh dude! Absolutely! That would be most awesome of you!” Brobun exclaimed, an extra hop in his step as he turned with Frisk to head to her front door. “Man, Tsun has got great taste! If she ever gets married it’ll be a most epic event!”

“When,” Frisk said off handedly.

“Hu?”

“Not _if_ they get married, _when_ . It’s going to happen.”

“But, I thought... with everything that’s gone all crazed and such...”

“ It might take a little longer, but as long as I’m around, I’ll do everything in my power to make sure that they and all monster human couples can wed if they so choose. It’s a basic right that every sentient being should be able to participate in if they want to.”

The rabbit guard tilted his head askance and a half smile pulled at his muzzle, “You really are something, little dude. You just won’t stop until everyone can have their happy ending, hu?”

She tried to smile back at him but it didn’t quite reach her eyes, “Well, I guess, if things have to end, I’d rather they be happy endings. Stories are just better with happy endings, don’t you think?”

The white furred rabbit barked a laugh and clapped Frisk on the back, “You know, little dude, I don’t always understand you, but I still kind of know what you mean, ya know?”

Frisk chuckled and went to fish out the keys to her apartment as they neared her door.

.........

Both Mettaton and Undyne had quickly became tired of Sans’s continual assertion that they “just wouldn’t understand” to every question they had for him – questions about multiple timelines, about the idea of Frisk being possessed and killing people, about whatever was making him so upset about this code business, about why this all sounded absolutely insane but for some reason none of them doubted a single word of it. That last one he actually did have half an answer for.

“It’s because some part of you remembers,” Sans said hunching miserably on the loveseat, the others taking up positions on the couch. “I think I retained more of what happened because of my time in the code but it always seemed to me like most folk still kept little pieces of memory. Mostly just coming up as deja vu or a certain knowledge about a situation that you couldn’t possibly know, but it’s there and you know it’s real. You know it’s true. Some part of you still remembers that, once upon a time, Frisk killed you all.”

Mettaton shook his head, a pensive worry coloring his face, “No, that can’t be right. Our Frisk would never-“

“That wasn’t our Frisk,” Papyrus said sounding resolute. “She was possessed. She said so. She wouldn’t have-“

“Darling, I am a ghost. If anyone knows about possession, it’s me, and it shouldn’t be possible for two consciousnesses to occupy one space,” the electronic idol insisted. 

“I wouldn’t say for certain either of them really had a conscience,” Sans grumbled, “not if they were willing to throw away existence as we know it on a gamble.”

“You keep saying that,” Undyne said with an annoyed huff, “I still don’t get it. How could they have destroyed reality? That’s not something people can just do.”

Sans seemed to huddle into himself more and the same tired line fell from his maw, “You wouldn’t understand.”

With an angry yell Undyne punched the coffee table and it split in two, “I swear to god, if you say that again I’m going to throw you through the roof.”

The stout skeleton leveled an unkind glare at the fish monster, “Well what the hell do you want me to say, it’s the truth!”

“You could at least try to explain-“ Papyrus began, halting wide eyed as his brother turned angrily on him.

“I could spend the rest of the damn day explaining it and you still wouldn’t understand, and I don’t particularly feel like spending the rest of my life trying to figure out a way to explain string theory and quantum physics to a kindergarten class!” Sans threw up his hands with an angry shout, “I mean, she said it herself, she knew the risk, she knew everything could be destroyed and she just let it happen. She only felt bad because she was squeamish about the gore. What the hell does it matter how it was going to happen? She could have erased everything, that was what she was risking, everything-- you, me, and the goddamn kitchen sink -- everything gone! Cease to be. Blank slate. Clean sweep. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust - wait no, because ash and dust are actually physical elements and therefore could not exist if she screwed up and broke the fucking universe! I don’t know how to draw you a clearer picture than that to get it through your thick skulls or are you all just too fucking stupid to understand even that?!” 

The furrows in Papyrus’s brow deepened as the volume of his brother’s shout increased, a small orange magic pricking at the corners of his eye sockets, “L-language Sans.”

Sans blinked, finally noticing the tears in his brother’s eyes which broke him somewhat from his hysterics. “Aw, bro, I’m sorry, I just-“

“Come on Pap,” Undyne said ice in her voice. She put an arm around the lanky skeleton’s shoulders, “Let’s get out of here. The company’s suddenly feeling pretty trashy if you ask me.”

“I concur,” Mettaton agreed as the three of them got to their feet.

“You should stay over at Alphys and my place. It’s been forever since we all just hung out,” Undyne was saying as she shut the front door behind her.

With an aggravated grumble, Sans threw himself back against the loveseat resting his forearm over his eye sockets and trying to shut out the world. He knew being so verbally abusive was pointless and cruel but his frustration at their seemingly willful ignorance was more than he could bear. 

Frisk and that thing that had possessed her, they’d toyed with the fabric of reality, tried to remove its threads and replace them with ones that didn’t belong. Sans thought back to the readings he’d gotten back in Snowdin, the ones that showed that everything ended. They hadn’t been wrong as he’d first thought after everything came back again, he’d just misinterpreted the readings in the first place. Everything had indeed ended. The world that was supposed to be no longer existed, unceremoniously erased from time and space, and now they were stuck with this reality, whatever it was. Was it even stable? How long could this perversion of existence last? He hadn’t seen any signs of temporal or quantum disruption but that didn’t mean everything was going to stay that way. A broken cup could be glued back together, but it would never be as strong as it was before it was broken. It was like everyone he cared for was living inside a ticking bomb and none of them understood that. To be honest, maybe it was better that way, he sure as hell wished he didn’t know.

Abruptly, “God Save the Queen” began playing on his phone and he wearily pulled it from his pocket.

“What,” Sans answered gruffly.

“Sans, I need you to teleport to Frisk’s apartment immediately,” Toriel said worry evident on her voice.

A disgruntled grumble escaped the skeleton and he closed his eye sockets, “Listen, I don’t really think that’s a good idea right now-“

“No!” Toriel barked over the line effectively silencing him. “I don’t want to hear it. I was just on the phone with Frisk while she was walking to her apartment, when the line went dead and now no one is answering their phones. Not Frisk, Asriel, Brobun, or Draggodin.”

“Why are Brobun and Draggodin with her?”

“I sent them to guard her.”

Sans rolled his eye lights finding her protectiveness excessive even by his standards, “There’s no need to freak out over a dropped call. She probably just lost signal in the elevator or something. Anyway, I think it’s probably for the best that Frisk and I don’t see each other for a while-”

“Do you know what I think, Sans?” she cut in, a seething urgency making her words tight. “I think you’re being a damn fool. Frisk told me things hadn’t gone well when she told you about Chara changing the code.”

“Did she tell you why?” Sans hissed back, “Did she tell you she knew she was playing a game where all of existence was on the line?”

“She was a little girl Sans.” The skeleton wanted to argue that point but Toriel continued swiftly, “She was a broken little girl who was trying to kill herself because no one would give her orders. Then one day, someone gave her a task and she did it even though she knew it was dangerous because that was what she thought servants did, they fallowed orders without fail.”

A stillness fell over Sans as he took in her words.

“Do you know how hard it was to get her to open up, to help her heal? The psychological scars she carries, they’ll never really be gone and you demonizing her isn’t helping.” What sounded like a strangled sob broke the Queen’s voice, but she huffed and powered through, “She begged to serve. Do you understand that? After everyone was free, she came to me and begged to be allowed to serve the royal family as a slave. She thought that was going to be her big reward for setting everyone free. We did everything we could to try to help her, to try to convince her that we wanted her as a daughter in our family not a slave, but she just became more and more self-destructive, she just wouldn’t accept it. She said she couldn’t keep pretending to be something she wasn’t. That it wasn’t right. Nothing seemed to help convince her that she was anything more than a servant.” Toriel paused taking a deep quieting breath, “I...I thought she was going to kill herself, so I did the only thing I’d sworn I wouldn’t do, I accepted her offer.”

“What?” a cold kind of disbelief fell over the skeleton and he slowly sat up in his seat, insanely hoping he’d somehow heard wrong.

“I drew up a contract for her, one that stated that she would serve not just the royal family but all of monster kind with the stipulation that she accept the role as my daughter and work hard to find her own peace and happiness because we could not be happy with her work if she was not also happy. It was a foolish thing to do, I know, but it seemed to do the trick. I gave her small jobs at first and she just seemed to blossom. She took on more and more and before I knew it she was practically running the embassy herself, and even more wonderful, she was making real friendships. Then, one day, when she smiled I knew it wasn’t just that pleasant mask she wore but a real genuine smile.”

So he hadn’t been the only one to notice her mask. Of course Toriel would know, of course she’d actually been trying to help the girl instead of worry about what someone who wears a mask might be hiding. He silently berated himself for his own cold misgivings about the human.

“Sans, I know what she helped Chara do was very dangerous, but it’s done and it seemed to work out despite the risk. I know she has been falling back into her old habits, treating herself like property instead of a person, and I am terrified that I’m losing her all over again. I didn’t send guards to watch her because I’m worried about her being attacked. I’m worried that, if she lets that dark place in her mind shut her away from the people who love her, if she thinks she’s failed as a servant, she’ll try to harm herself again.” A quite trembling had taken hold of her voice, dowsing it in misery and sorrow. 

“Tori, I-“

“So,” Toriel cut him off yet again, trying hard to fight for some strength for her words, “you are going to teleport over to Frisk’s apartment and let me know if my daughter is safe, right now.”

“Uh, yeah sure,” Sans said hastily getting to his feet.

“Good,” after a moment’s thought she added, “Thank you.”

Still holding the phone to his head, Sans teleported.

Sans stumbled when he landed in Frisk’s apartment, a startled “ooof” escaping him. He should not have stumbled. He’d teleported to Frisk’s apartment enough times that he hardly had to imagine the coordinates that took him there. He should have just magically been moved from standing on the floor of his house to standing on the floor of Frisk’s apartment. However the floor wasn’t where it was supposed to be. Instead it was several inches lower than the last time he’d been in her living room. 

Slowly the skeleton turned around to face where the front door should have been, but the front door wasn’t there, neither was the wall it had been mounted on, and a good section of the floor was missing as well, and the floor that remained intact sloped precariously down threatening to collapse. Fire ate at the edges of a massive hole that had once been Frisk’s entryway, evening light shining through the columns of smoke that rose into the sky, the sun glowing red through the ash. 

“Sans,” Toriel’s voice startled Sans enough to make him jump. “Sans, are you there? Did you teleport? I-“

“Call the police, Frisk's apartment is on fire,” he barked into the phone.

“What!?”

“The wall is missing and the place is on fire. Now call the police!” Sans turned off his phone and stuffed it into his pocket. 

In the distance he could hear sirens approaching fast but he ignored them and edged closer to the chasm that now decorated the front of Frisk’s home. 

“Frisk! Frisk, are you there? Frisk!” he got no answer and hoped it was because she wasn’t there. Maybe this had happened before she reached her apartment. Maybe she was fine, just chilling in the parking lot with her guards.

A panicked voice drifted to Sans from the floor below.

“Frisk! Come on dude, wake up! I can’t carry you man, you have to wake up.” 

Without a second thought, Sans teleported down to the apartment below, eye lights searching franticly for any signs of life. Amongst the rubble and fire and covered in soot, ash, and blood he found her curled into a tight little ball on the floor, a strange one armed monster at her side. 

“Sans!” the monster shouted on seeing the skeleton. “Hurry, you’ve got to get her to Asriel, he’s in the parking lot, probably. She said he’d know what to do.”

“Asriel? She needs a hospital!” Sans started in confusion. Just then the entire room lurched, the apartment’s fire weakened support beams starting to give out.

Panicked, Sans just grabbed the two of them and teleported, hoping the ambulance would be there soon. They landed in the shadow of a large moving van and Sans saw Asriel and Draggodin running through the cars toward the building but they abruptly changed course on spotting the trio.

“Frisk! Oh thank god!” Asriel shouted kneeling on the asphalt. “Are you okay? Is anything broken?” Garnet eyes looked up angrily at Sans, “Why didn’t you take her straight to the hospital?” 

Sans threw up his hands, “Hey, guy told me to bring her here. Said she told him to make sure she gets to you Asriel.”

“What? Why?”

Sans could only shrug.

“Where’s 01?” Draggodin asked urgently over their bickering, “Is he still in there?”

“Dude, harsh,” the strange monster said. “I’m right here man.”

Dragodin blinked shaking his head slowly taking in the monster kneeling next to Frisk. White fur, one long rabbit ear the other mostly gone, and two elk-like antlers protruding from his forehead. His features were sharp if not a bit burnt and the fire had singed his black t-shirt especially on the side that now had a missing arm, though on closer inspection, at the shoulder where the arm should have been, there was now what looked to be a mass of partially melted fur and meat.

“Brobun?” Dragodin murmured, voice quiet and unsure.

“Yeah, man, it’s me,” the rabbit monster said as he stood. “Did you get shorter?”

Dragodin shook his head, “You got taller.”

“What the hell happened in there!?” Asriel demanded angrily.

Brobun blinked, tearing his eyes away from his partner to look at the Prince, “When Frisk opened there door to her apartment, there was, like, this weird noise so I grabbed her and then there was this explosion. I totally thought I was a goner. I was starting to dust. But Frisk, she, like, told me to summon her soul, so I just did it... I don’t even know why. Didn’t make any sense to do something like that. She said you would understand, Asriel.” His good ear drooped and a stricken look overcame his features, “I didn’t want to but...Dude, she just grabbed her soul and broke a piece off and pushed it into me. I didn’t know humans could do that, brake off pieces of their soul. Next thing I know I wake up surrounded by fire, she’s unconscious, and I...” he gestured to his body, “...look like this.”

“Shit.” Asriel hissed summoning Frisk’s soul even before the rabbit monster had finished his story. 

What had once been a heart, was now a bobbing blob of amorphous and cracked red that oozed dully glowing ichor onto the pavement. 

“What the hell!” Sans exclaimed.

“Does anyone have any monster food?” Asriel shouted as he extended his paws around the broken soul, a green light surrounding it.

“I-I’ve got half a Starfait in the car,” Dragodin offered. 

“Get it!” Asriel barked. “Sans, get my mother. NOW!”

Sans jumped before teleporting away.

Asriel looked down at Frisk’s limp form, worry etched into his features. “What the hell were you thinking Frisk?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: yeah, so I changed things a little. I figured there was no real reason to kill off Brobun so he's alive now.


	28. The difference Between Ash and Dust

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Panic attack

Fire crackled and roared as it devoured the wooden frame of the apartment and the frightened shrieks of the residents still inside the building could be heard. A shadow fell over the fire, making the embers seem to glow all the brighter before water poured down onto the blaze sending an angry hiss into the air as huge plumes of smoke heralded the death of much of the flame. Enormous, white, disembodied paws floated down, away from the dying fire and back to the manmade river in the courtyard below, scooping up more water before floating back up the building. Sweat made Asriel’s fur mat and cling to his body as he focused his magic, and his cream button down and black slacks were wrinkled and covered in ash. He was doing his best to tamp down the blaze while the fire fighters fought with a fire hydrant. Someone had tampered with it and it wasn’t working like it should.

Light dimmed behind the goat monster as Sans appeared carrying a dog in one arm and holding the hand of a little boy with the other.

Sans coughed up a puff of smoke as a small girl and her mother ran up to Sans, the little boy running to the mother, talking excitedly about the nice skeleton who had appeared out of nowhere to save him. The little girl happily took the puppy from the hoodie clad skeleton, the excited ball of fluff wiggling spastically and licking her face. 

“Think you left your hotdog on the grill a little too long there kid,” Sans said, dusting ash from his jacket. “He’s a little crispy around the edges.”

She laughed as the puppy yipped happily.

There was a loud hiss and suddenly the fire hose sprang to life with a chorus of woops and shouts of joy from the fire fighters.

Undyne appeared, jogging through the smoke to Sans and grabbing his shoulder before he teleported away again.

“Toriel says she needs more monster food,” a coughing fit took the blue skinned woman before she could say more, but Sans had heard enough. He stepped away from her with a nod and disappeared.

The fish woman called out to Asriel who was panting with the exertion of so much magic, “Come on goat boy, the fire fighters can better deal with this now, and besides, your mother could use some help with the paramedics.”

“What?” worry fought for dominance over exhaustion in the monster’s voice.

“They keep trying to take Frisk away,” she said her attention partially taken by the sight of Mettaton using his telescopic legs to step daintily down from the third story of the apartment carrying a bathtub full of injured people as easily as one might chary a basket of daises.

“I thought Alphys talked to them already?” the electronic idol said as Asriel began jogging towards the parking lot where an army of ambulances waited. Mettaton took up a much more dignified pace, trying hard not to jostle any of his passengers in the bathtub, all of them sporting an injury of some kind.

“They’re not too keen on listening to a monster try to explain why a human needs magic healing instead of human medicine,” Undyne grumbled before jumping out of the way of some fire fighters carrying long ladders into the courtyard. “I think the only reason the medics aren’t forcing the issue is that Brobun and Draggodin are on the force so the police are backing them up because 01 and 02 say it’s necessary.”

“Well, thank goodness for our little mascots.”

As Mettaton and Undyne approached the ambulances, paramedics swarmed them and the robotic super star delicately put down his cargo so they could be better taken care of.

“Mam, I understand that you’re frightened right now, but you need to let us do our job,” came a voice that was trying very hard to sound calm and reasonable.

“Y-y-you don’t understand. This is a very delicate process and s-s-she shouldn’t be disturbed,” Alphys tried to explain standing steadfastly between the paramedic and Toriel who had Frisk mostly pulled into her lap where she sat on the asphalt, her huge paws glowing a dull green as they surrounded what was left of Frisk’s soul. Papyrus knelt next to them, holding the unconscious woman’s hand and murmuring quietly, watching Frisk closely.

“Your friend could have a concussion or she might be bleeding internally,” the frazzled paramedic tried to explain. “Just because we can’t see any injuries, doesn’t mean-“

Brobun stepped up next to Alphys, “Listen, dude, we’ve already given her lots of magic food to heal her physical damage and such. Her body is fine.”

“Are you a doctor?” the paramedic snapped, her patience running thin. “And if she’s fine then why is she unconscious. Just move out of the way and-“

“L-look at her soul!” Alphys snapped, ash falling from her white lab coat as she shook with frustration and fear. “Have you ever seen a human soul? It’s not supposed to look like that!” She pointed at the small faintly glowing ball of red that Toriel held. It seemed mangled and broken, long ugly cracks oozing a strange dark substance that made Toriel flinch every time it touched her. The yellow lizard monster began to wring her hands agitatedly, “I-I-I know that emotional and psychological trauma can leave scars on a soul but this... I c-can’t even imagine what Frisk must have gone through to damage the very culmination of her being so severely. B-but I do know this, souls --even human souls-- are m-m-mostly magic and so only magic can heal her right now.”

“You say that but-“ the paramedic began to argue, but a large white furred hand fell on the woman’s shoulder making her jump in fright and look up.

Asriel smiled, teeth glinting in the red evening light, “Instead of wasting time arguing, why don’t you go help someone who doesn’t already have a small army of monsters attending to them.”

The paramedic frowned but moved to the new group of injured people that had just been brought out of the ruins of the burning apartment building.

“Is magic really the only thing that can help her now,” Papyrus murmured as Asriel knelt by his mother’s side.

Toriel frowned but it was Asriel who answered, “There isn’t much that can help a soul heal, not even magic can really do much, but it’s better than nothing. All we can really do is be here for her and hope that she comes back to us.”

A rattle ran though the lanky skeleton’s bones as he turned his attention back to Frisk and started to mutter his little mantra again, “You’re going to be alright, Frisk. I’m here. We’re all here and we love you and you have to come back. You have to. You’re going to be alright, Frisk.”

Draggodin stepped up to the small group of monsters surrounding Frisk, Mettaton and Undyne close behind him.

The dragon monster shook his head at his partner’s hopeful look, a silent snarl curling his lip revealing many small sharp teeth, “Cheswick is taking the camera man that assaulted Frisk to the precinct for further interrogation, but I don’t think he has anything to do with the explosion and there was nothing on his camera that might help us figure out who did. A lot of pictures of the back of his lens cap and before that a lot of pictures of breasts with the women’s heads cropped out.”

“Goddamn paparazzi slime,” Mettaton seethed. “I’ll make sure he’s ruined.”

“Not before I shish kabob the bastard,” Undyne muttered.

“Frisk wouldn’t want that,” Papyrus said softly. “She wouldn’t want anyone to ever be violent on her behalf.” He glowered at them, “And watch your language.”

“Sure Pap,” Undyne grumbled.

“Of course, darling,” Mettaton said with a nod.

“Where’s Sans?” Papyrus said with a frown. “He should be back by now.”

As though he’d heard his name, the stout skeleton appeared, arms filled with bags sporting the “Grillby’s” logo and sweat pouring from his brow.

“Seriously, Sans, Grillby’s at a time like this!” Papyrus barked as his brother approached them.

“Well where else was I supposed to get a bunch of monster food quickly? Trash-mart?” He began setting down his cargo, “Grillz hooked me up when he heard it was an emergency. I’ve got everything.”

“I need something I can eat without my hands,” Toriel murmured, strain in her voice. “I’m quite drained right now, but that stuff has finally stopped dripping from her soul and I don’t want to risk stopping if I can help it.”

“Right,” Sans dug out a two pound bag of Monster Candy. He popped a piece into her mouth and she smiled gratefully, the edges of her grin frayed and weary. 

“I can feed mom,” Asriel said taking the rest of the bag. “You should sit and eat something too. You’ve been teleporting a lot.”

“Naw, man, I’m fine,” Sans said forcing a smile onto his bones. “There still might be people in the building and-“

“The police and fire department can handle it, Sans,” Papyrus barked. “Now sit down and eat.”

Suddenly, Frisk gasped, coughing and jerking violently as she got her barring. 

“Thank heavens,” Toriel said with a sob, beaming as happy tears pricked at her eyes. “Frisk, you’re alright my child. I’ve got you.”

Frist felt her face and there was something gritty there. She looked at the white powder on her hand and her pupils shrank to pinpricks. “Brobun, is he alright?” Frisk demanded, a thread of panic giving energy to her voice as she looked around her.

“I’m totally fine, little dude,” the antlered monster said stepping closer and catching her eye. “You fully saved my bacon.”

“Brobun?” Frisk murmured as she scrutinized him. The frowned and tried to shake a fog that still hovered over her mind. “You’re really...” She trailed off as she took in his shredded ear and missing arm. The cracks in her soul began to glow brightly and that dark ichor dripped again from the widening fissures. “Oh god, I’m so sorry. It’s my fault you’re hurt. I’m so sorry-”

“W-what?!” the rabbit monster stammered, “Aw geez, come on now, I’m fine! This is just a scratch. Part of the job ya’ know, little dude.”

The cracks grew, “It’s my job... my job to protect you. I failed... I-“

Papyrus choked on a sob and threw himself on top of Frisk, pulling her up tightly into a hug, “Stop it! Stop it right now! It’s enough! You’ve done enough and now you have to get better.” He began to cry into her shoulder, fat orange tears falling down his face.

Frisk looked conflicted and panicked, her eyes darting around but not really seeing, her breath coming in short shallow gasps, heart racing at an erratic beat. Papyrus was crying and that was her fault, it was all her fault, all of their pain and fear and suffering. Her mind was tossed around in a tornado of old truths-- ones that told her she had to be punished for failing, ones that told her it was too late and that she should be thrown away like the garbage she was, filth, disgusting, useless, pathetic....Yet, despite these truths, he clung to her, and cried because she was hurt. 

A paw lighted on her knee and she realized it was Asriel, tears in his eyes as well. Frisk heard her mother and saw that she was still sitting in her lap with the goat woman pouring all of her healing magic into this piece of trash’s soul and was whispering a prayer into that ugly little ball of energy, telling Frisk how much she loved her and begging Frisk to be alright. Another hand fell on her unoccupied shoulder and she turned to see Mettaton a look too sad and frightened for his face to ever stand to bear, crumbling his handsome visage. Two hands touched her arm and there were Undyne and Alphys, huddled against each other, Alphys crying openly and Undyne telling Frisk to be strong. Something gripped her sock and she looked down to see Sans looking very seriously at her. There was anger on his face, but also concern and fear. Distantly she recognized Brobun talking in a high frightened voice, telling her that he was alright, that he wouldn’t be alive without her. She looked and found Draggodin doing his best to comfort the distraught man, telling him it was going to be alright, but looking at her.

They were all so worried about her and though the old truths in her mind told her that she didn’t understand why anyone would spend so much energy on a broken tool, some part of her knew and felt that she was loved despite her failures.

In the darkness, almost inaudible above the howling of her past, something whispered in her mind like knowledge she had only just forgotten, “You can only be useless if you stop. Fuck up a million times, a million and one, it doesn’t matter. As long as you keep trying, you can still be worth something, okay partner?”

A chill ran through her and the ichor seeping from her soul slowed then stopped altogether. The fissures dimmed and shrank, and a glamor fell over the damaged little thing, hiding it’s ugliness from the world. Frisk made a sound that was supposed to be a laugh but sounded more like a sob. She leaned into Papyrus’s embrace, gripping onto his dark red button down, and tried to remember how to breathe normally.

“I’m alright,” Frisk murmured and pressed a kiss into the side of the lanky skeleton’s skull. “I’m alright now. Hey, no more crying. I can’t take any more crying.” She nuzzled her temple into his the way he had taught her was custom among skeleton monsters and Papyrus softly returned the gesture before sitting up to look her in the eye.

“You’re alright now?” Papyrus said, wiping tears from his face, “For real this time.”

That drew a genuine smile from her and she snorted a laugh, “For real.”

A murmur of tear stained but relieved laughter bubbled through the small group as some of the tension began to lift.


	29. Look At What You’ve Done

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: violence.... also some shmoop

“You alright, mom?” Frisk asked the goat monster, who was giving her soul a curious look.

Toriel smiled widely, “Just tired, my child. I’d lose my head if it wasn’t bolted on.”

Frisk gave her a warm smile before gesturing at her soul, “You should probably put that back before people get antsy.” 

The queen nodded and carefully returned Frisk’s soul to her as Undyne cleared her throat.

“Watch out, here comes that paramedic again and she looks pissed,” the powerful fish monster muttered. 

Frisk nodded, “Alright guys, you’d better let me up so I can show them I’m okay.”

“You shouldn’t over exert yourself, human,” Papyrus said anxiously. “You’ve barely recovered as it is. It might be a good idea to let the doctors take you to the hospital.”

Frisk shrugged, “You’re probably right.”

“Of course I’m right,” Papyrus said with a sniff before turning on his brother. “And don’t think I’ve forgotten about you, Sans. Now sit down and eat something or so help me I will sit on you and feed you like a baby bird.”

A tired laugh escaped the small skeleton and he took a seat on the asphalt, grabbing a hotcat out of one of the bags he’d brought.

The little brunet extracted herself from the bramble of monsters, pulling Asriel’s jacket a little tighter around her as she approached the annoyed looking paramedic.

“I see you’ve regained consciousness,” the paramedic began as she took a small pen light from one of many pockets on her uniform. “I’m going to run a few tests on you.”

Frisk smiled not missing the lack of any requests for permission or chance to deny the woman. “They were just protecting me.”

“Fallow the light with your eyes only,” the frizzy haired woman said as she waved the light back and forth in front of Frisk’s face. “They’re going to help you into an early grave if they don’t let us do our jobs.” She put away the pen light, “Does anything hurt, any tenderness, loss of hearing, dizziness-“

“I feel fine, really,” Frisk assured with a cheerful smile.

The paramedic’s frown deepened, “From what I understand, you were at the center of an explosion that took out half of an apartment complex. You should not be fine.”

Frisk shrugged, “That’s monster food for you. You should really look into it.”

Brobun’s voice caught Frisk’s attention just then, “Dude, um, Draggodin I... with everything that’s been happening I... well I just... there’s something I’ve got to ask you man. I’ve been meaning to ask you for a while now.”

The paramedic was about to say something but Frisk held up a hand saying, “Could you hold on just a minute. I don’t want to miss this.”

“Oh sure, it’s only your life! Why do I bother-,” the medic started to say as Frisk turned to see if what she thought was happening was really happening.

A bright blinding pain erupted at Frisk’s cheek and she screamed. A second sharp pain hit her at the shoulder and she jerked like a ragdoll, but even as she began to fall she felt her soul get captured in blue magic as Sans quickly dragged her behind a parked moving van where most of the rest of her monster friends still sat. She passed Mettaton who was running out to get the paramedic, shielding her with his metallic body and ushered her to safety. 

Everyone was taking cover now, police shouting into their radios that someone was shooting at them, people who had just escaped one disaster only to be thrown headlong into another were screaming in hopeless terror as more shots rang out pinging off of cars and the ground.

“My child!” Toriel cried in renewed fright, reaching out to her as the small skeleton cradled Frisk's body close to him.

Asriel pushed something sweet into Frisk’s mouth but even attempting to chew was excruciating and the morsel dropped from her lips as she cried out in pain.

“Shit, her jaw is broken,” Sans hissed as he dug into one of the bags he’d brought. He produced a red bottle and popped it open putting it to her lips. 

“She’s losing so much blood,” Toriel babbled, voice rising in hysterics. “I... my healing...” She grabbed a hand full of monster candy from the bag with her son who was also chomping down, trying to renew his stores of magic so he could try to heal Frisk.

“Drink damn it!” Sans ordered.

Frisk whimpered but managed to swallow some of the savory red substance and her jaw began to mend.

“Papyrus!” Undyne shouted peering over the side of the van, Alphys huddled at her feet, “Yellow building, top floor, last window on the right.”

The lanky skeleton looked around his side of the van a moment before getting to his feet. His right eye erupted in bright orange and red magic. It’s said that emotion and intent can affect a monster’s magic and, just then, Papyrus was taping into a mountain of furry and a sharp single minded intent. 

Swinging clear of the van with a shout and an outstretched hand, Papyrus sent out a wave of magic into the building across the street. There was a sound of braking glass and a panicked shout as the shooter was torn from the building, his soul floating before him in a blue glow of light. His thick denim jacket and pants seemed to protect him from most of the damage of being dragged through a window, but his face was sporting a few minor cuts, blood running into his thick dark beard. The man tried to take aim at Papyrus in a panic, but with a small movement of his wrist, the tall skeleton shook the man still suspended in the air, swinging him around like a leaf in a tornado until he dropped his rifle. Papyrus walked forward as the man came back down to earth, though his feet were never allowed to touch the ground, a look of utter terror on his face as he got closer to the skeleton monster clad in a red button down, blue and white hibiscus print shorts, and hiking boots. The monster’s ensemble did nothing to dissuade the shooter’s fear. Even if they’re sporting beach attire, when something’s got you by the soul, a person tends to pay attention.

“Oh god, oh lord Jesus in heaven, mother mercy full of grace-” the shooter babbled kicking his legs and gripping his hands around his soul as though he were pulling himself up by it. “Please, don’t eat my soul!”

Papyrus looked utterly revolted, “Don’t be ridiculous, human, that’s disgusting. How would you feel if I suggested you eat monster dust? That’s pretty gross,” He turned the shooter to look out at the crying and injured masses he had fired upon. “Look at this, look at what you’ve done! They’re crying and scared and hurt.”

The shooter frowned looking around at the frightened faces that were starting to sit up and look back at him, tears staining the faces of some, blood on others. He tried to look away. 

Papyrus shook him and shouted, “Look at them! You hurt them, there are children here, and my friends and the people I love. Don’t you have any friends Mr. Gunman or children? Don’t you have anyone you love? What would you do if someone hurt them or hurt you?”

“Oh god, don’t kill me!” the shooter wailed, scrabbling again at his soul as though he thought he could wrench it free. 

“Why do you keep saying ridiculous things like that? Did no one ever teach you manners?” Papyrus asked sounding like an exasperated middle school teacher. 

“Mister, you need to put the shooter down now. We can take it from here,” a police officer said as he stood and began to approach them, one hand held out in supplication the other hovering over his gun.

“Oh, yes, of course,” Papyrus said and let the shooter drop to the ground. 

The minute his feet touched the asphalt, the gunman reached into his jacket and pulled out a truly intimidating serrated knife about the length of his forearm and spun on Papyrus, eyes wide and frightened. Papyrus, however, was not impressed by what to him appeared to be a very slow and obvious attack attempt. The skeleton simply kicked out with his heavy hiking boot, nailing the man hard right between the legs. The knife dropped out of the gunman’s hand and he soon fallowed, vomiting before he passed out.

“Absolutely outrageous,” Papyrus tutted. “You’re just lucky my friend Frisk taught me about that off switch you humans have or I would have had to do something drastic because I am just about at my limit, young man.”

There was a clap, and another, and suddenly the parking lot was filled with cheers and shouts of praise as the officers closed in and cuffed the unconscious man and dragged him away. Papyrus turned to the crowd forming behind him, blushing furiously and scratching at the back of his skull as people congratulated him and applauded his bravery and merciful judgement. 

“Nyeh-heh-heh, yes, I am pretty great, thanks for noticing,” Papyrus said cheerfully. 

The frizzy haired paramedic was back, Mettaton in toe, determined to make sure Frisk was seen too before she bled out. Even minor facial wounds blead profusely and the last she’d seen of the woman, a chunk of flesh the size of her fist had been ripped from her face. She had to be stabilized quickly before...

The woman stopped in her tracks when she came up to the small group of monsters and found the only blood on Frisk Dreemurr was a small drabble staining her cheek that the goat woman was wiping away with a damp napkin, then there was nothing. Not even a scratch.

“Y-your face was off!” the frizzy haired paramedic stammered pointing blatantly at Frisk. “I saw it! The wound was down to the bone.”

Sans chuckled, “Ooo, stop, you’ll give me chills.”

Frisk smiled up at her, “I told you, monster food, its amazing stuff.”

The paramedic shook her head, “That’s not possible. The human body doesn’t work like that.”

Undyne laughed, good naturedly slapping the woman on the back, “Fuhuhu, what part of ‘magical healing’ don’t you get lady?”

“Hey,” said a female cop walking up to the group, a cut on her brow bleeding steadily, “I caught a bullet to the arm. Mind if I try some of that monster food stuff?” 

Frisk smiled and got up grabbing a hotcat from one of the bags before walking over to the officer, “Try this. It should patch you up.”

The lady cop looked at the hotcat dubiously for a moment but shrugged saying something about it being worth it if it saved her from the medical bills, and chowed down. The effect was immediate. The cut on her face vanished and when she poked around the holes on both sides of her arm she found that there was no wound visible, not even a scar.

“That’s amazing,” the officer said as some of her comrades also checked her out, stunned.

“Hey, my son broke his arm,” came a woman’s voice.

“I fell and twisted my ankle!” came a male baritone.

Soon the monsters were surrounded and they cheerfully handed out food to anyone who wanted some. The effects were immediate.

“I’ve heard about the healing properties of monster food, but I thought it was just new age holistic hokum,” the frizzy haired paramedic said, dumbfounded. “How is this not more well-known? This could literally save lives.”

Frisk shrugged, “Farming of magical grown food is just barely starting to gain ground, but we’re facing an uphill battle from big pharma, the agriculture industry, and a general disbelief from the public that this stuff really works like we say it does.”

The lady officer laughed pocketing a gumball that Asriel was handing out, “Man, if we could get every person on the force to carry a few of these Monster Candy things, I know I’d feel a lot more secure on the beat.”

Frisk turned beaming to the woman who was still prodding at her arm, marveling at the fact that it didn’t hurt. “Well, we have tried to make magical grown food more accessible to the public, but so far only monsters and those humans in the know have really adopted the stuff.”

“Not like we haven’t talked to the captain about it,” Brobun groused. “But he totally shuts us down every time! Says it wouldn’t be good for PR or some junk like that.”

“In hospitals, at schools, disaster sites... this could change everything!” The frizzy haired paramedic squinted at Frisk’s back. “Exit wound.”

“What now?” Undyne said, fallowing the woman’s line of sight.

“O-o-oh dear,” Alphys stammered waddling up to the former ambassador. “F-Frisk, the gunshot at your shoulder, there’s no sign the bullet went all the way th-through.”

She rolled her shoulder frowning, “You know, I was thinking that it still ached a bit, which it usually doesn’t after healing.”

The frizzy haired woman shook her head, “Looks like I won’t be out of a job just yet. I need to get you to the hospital and have that removed.”

Frisk nodded, “Alright, guess I can’t argue with that.”

“My child, wait!” Toriel exclaimed, extracting herself from a circle of people she’d been handing food to, handing the bag off to Papyrus. “I don’t want you going anywhere unescorted, not until we’re sure you’re out of danger.”

“Pap, caught the guy,” Frisk said with a lopsided grin and added in a slightly projected voice, “like the amazing hero he is!”

The skeleton laughed, puffing out his chest and Frisk thought she heard Sans say, “Damn right he is. My bro’s the coolest.”

“We don’t know if he was alone or not,” Toriel said, looking sternly down at her daughter. “Until we know for certain, you aren’t to be left alone.”

“Aw, mom,” Frisk said shaking her head in exasperation.

“I didn’t argue with you when you wanted to put a guard on your father and me, so don’t you try it now, my child.” The tall goat woman looked around and caught 01 and 02’s eyes before waving them over. “You’ve still got a job to do. Make sure nothing else happens to my daughter.”

They saluted and said in unison, “Of course your majesty.”

“You know, I could just teleport you to the hospital,” Sans said as he sauntered up to Frisk. 

“I feel pretty good, just got to get a bur out of my shoulder, besides,” she leaned down and directed his attention down the street where a number of news vans were pulling into the parking lot. She spoke in soft tones so as not to be overheard, “I want as many monsters here and visible as possible right now. This might be one of our greatest opportunities to get magic grown foods in the hands of the general public and to create a new admiration among the people with everything that you’ve all done here today. We need all the help we can get right now if we want to pull the Sapient Equality act out of the waist bin.”

Sans shook his head, but smiled, “You never stop looking out for us, do ya’ kid.”

Frisk smiled, but something cold passed behind her eyes, “I’m not useless yet, I guess.”

The short skeleton blinked the edges of his skeletal grin pulling down, but the lithe little brunet was already walking away being led to one of the ambulances with Brobun and Draggodin in tow.

“Hold on,” Brobun said, digging into his pocket. “I’ve got to do something before a tornado falls on us or something.”

Draggodin looked a question at him, but his scaled eyebrow ridges lifted as he caught sight of the black velvet box Brobun was holding.

“Dude, you are the most wonderful, amazing, wicked awesome monster I know and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.” He shuffled his feet looking down realizing that he didn’t quite know how to open the box one handed, “I know I’m all different and weird looking now, but if you’ll have me-“

“YES!” Draggodin shouted, launching himself at Brobun and kissing him soundly. “Of course, man, I love you!”

Brobun staggered laughing as he returned the embrace as best he could. A chorus of cheers and “About damn time!” rose up from the officers who whooped and clapped loudly. 

Draggodin took the box and opened it, gazing awestruck at the ring within.

“What do ya’ think?” Brobun asked nervously, “I was kind of worried you’d think it was silly.”

The scaled monster put on the ring and admired the way it shown on his finger, the silver snake hugging his digit perfectly, “It’s wicked sick, man. I love it!”

“Come on, love beasts,” the frizzy haired woman said as she finished looking Frisk over despite the aforementioned woman’s fangirl like squealing and clapping at the proposal. “We’ve got to get your princess to the hospital before that bullet tares something in her shoulder.”

“Not a princess,” Frisk groused as her monster guard got into the back of the ambulance, still cooing at each other.

“Whatever you say, princess,” the paramedic said as she closed the ambulance doors.


	30. Butts Butts Butts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: groping ... also butts. So many butts. I don't think I've ever talked so much about butts in my life.

“So like, do you think Alphys could make a robot arm for me?” Brobun asked scratching at his chin as he sat cross-legged on the unoccupied hospital bed across from Frisk. “With lasers that come out of the fingers! That would be totally awesome.”

Draggodin rumbled a laugh from his post, leaning by the only entry way into the room, “Spikes, if you’re going to have a robot arm, it’s got to have spikes.”

“Oh yeah, and a flame thrower!” The rabbit monster bounced in his seat, the bed creaking ominously beneath him, “This is totally going to be wicked amazing!”

Frisk chuckled and smiled, though the expression didn’t quite reach her eyes, “I am certain she’ll be able to create something to your liking and I’m glad you’re taking your new look well.” She paused, her eyes shifting down, “Still, I’m sor-“

A pillow smacked the woman in the face causing her to sputter and look up. Brobun was scowling at her and said, “No! No more of the s-word. I don’t want to hear it! I’m fine, you’re fine, take the win little dude.”

Frisk snorted half a laugh, “Alright, yeah, you’re right.”

“Besides,” Draggodin began, approaching Brobun with a smirk, “I’m really enjoying this new look of yours.” 

The blue scaled monster crooked his finger at his fiancé who only smiled and leaned in, muzzle upturned thinking he was going to get a kiss. Instead, Draggodin reached up and gripped onto his antlers startling the large white rabbit into rearing back. The dragon hung onto the antlers and used them to swing himself up and straddle his partner’s hips, grinning predatorily at the man.

“See, now I’ve got handle bars for when I want to go on a ride,” Draggodin rumbled before leaning forward and booping his snout to his lover’s.

“D-d-dude! Not in front of the ambassador!” Brobun stammered, though made no attempt to move away.

“Don’t worry about me,” Frisk assured, eyes twinkling. “You two are adorable.”

Draggodin snorted a laugh and got off of the bed, “I think you mean rugged and handsome.”

“What’s adorable is dat ass,” the rabbit monster said and then tried to take a playful swipe at said retreating posterior. Unfortunately, unused to his new body, Brobun leaned too far forward and lost his balance, toppling off of the bed with a shout, “Oh geez!”

The reptile tried to catch him, but the two simply ended up in a pile on the floor.

Frisk leaned forward in her seat on her own bed, “Are you okay?”

Snorting, bubbling laughter erupted from the two monsters on the floor and she found them unashamedly nuzzling on each other where they lay.

“Are you kidding me right now?” Undyne barked as she entered the hospital room. 

The two canoodling monsters hurried to scramble to their feet and threw up a hasty salute. 

“Sorry mam,” 02 barked.

“Won’t happen again, mam,” 01 assured, his good ear snapping back.

“First of all,” Undyne growled as she stormed up to them, “what if I had been an attacker? You two would be dust right now and Frisk would be dead.” 

Brobun and Draggodin hung their heads a bit at that, but Undyne continued, “Second of all, seriously guys, on the hospital floor? That’s so gross. Who knows what been ground into the cracks of this linoleum?”

The two males’ heads snapped up and they looked at each other with grimaces on their faces.

“They were just trying to cheer me up,” Frisk said helpfully.

Undyne only frowned, “You two are relieved of duty for the night. Go take a shower, a cold shower, that’s an order!”

The monster guard trudged out of the room, Brobun throwing a, “Catch you later little dude!” over his shoulder before the door closed behind him.

“Of all the unprofessional...” Undyne grumbled stepping up beside Frisk’s hospital bed. “It’s like they weren’t just in the middle of not one but two assassination attempts.”

“I’d say it’s because they were so close to death that they’re trying to appreciate life a little. Cut them some slack, Undyne.”

The fish woman grumbled and sat down heavily on the chair next to the former ambassador’s bed, “Al says the surgery was a success.”

“Yeah, they dug the bullet out, I ate some monster candy, now I’m good to go... sooo...” Frisk looked at Undyne hopefully.

“Oh no, Alphys told me you’re getting a twelve hour observation here. And don’t you try to convince Pap to take you home either.”

Frisk blinked, “Papyrus is coming?”

“Yeah, he said he wanted a turn on the guard rotation so he’ll be here after he’s done with his last interview for the day,” she said stretching a crack out of her neck.

“Interview, what interview?”

“Haven’t you been watching the news? Our boy’s become pretty popular.”

“The television in here doesn’t work and I don’t have my phone,” Frisk said sitting cross-legged as she leaned toward the fish monster in keen interest. “What’s been going on?”

Undyne gave a bark of laughter, “Pap’s the new hero of the day pretty much. The humans can’t seem to get enough of him. He’s been jumping from one press conference to the next since your apartment blew up.”

“Oh, good,” Frisk said, nodding mostly to herself, “He’s always had a gift for making humans feel at ease. I think that’s why he does so well at the help desk in the embassy.”

“At ease?” Undyne let loose another laugh, “Fuhuhu, not sure that’s the word for it.”

“What do you mean?”

The fish monster shook her head, “At the time I didn’t know why, but after the initial interview at your apartment, Sans took Pap, Al, and myself to my place and had Pap put on one of my old suits before taking him to the official press release at the embassy. Said he wanted his bro to look more professional. Pap’s chest is a bit wider than mine so the fit was a little tight but I think it got the effect Sans was looking for. Never thought the little man was so devious.”

“Devious?” Frisk blinked, “People aren’t mocking Papyrus for wearing ill-fitting cloths are they? I can’t see Sans doing something like that to Pap but-“

Undyne’s smile stretched revealing far too many teeth, “No, they’re definitely not mocking him.”

The light was sucked out of the room for a moment and in the next moment Sans and Papyrus stood in the isle between the two hospital beds occupying the room. 

Sans wore his classic blue hoodie with a pair of black slacks and sneakers. Papyrus, however, just looking at him made Frisk want to sit up and beg. He wasn’t just wearing a suit, he was wearing it oh so well. Black shoes polished to a high shine, crisp black slacks and a jacket in a deep shade of blue that hugged him beautifully, outlining muscle and sinew that only the power of his magic and the restriction of well-fitting cloth could give him. The jacket, which seemed to be loosely fashioned in some kind of military style, cut him right at his narrow waste allowing Frisk full view of exactly how well his high wasted slacks hugged his thighs and the full roundness of his behind. Suddenly she was struck by Brobun’s sentiment from just before he’d toppled from his perch so Frisk gripped onto her legs in an effort to stay still and not end up on the floor as the rabbit had. It was a near thing though. 

Then Papyrus turned to face her, his hand coming up to unbutton his jacket as he moved. There were many buttons on the jacket, double lines of silver with some kind of filigree decorating them, but it seemed he’d already gotten to most of them before he’d teleported. The silver green button down beneath the jacket stretched over his chest tautly. He hastened to undo the blue, black, and green patterned necktie and revealed the black buttons that held the fabric of his shirt closed. To her, the poor little circles looked pained as though they would like nothing better than to shatter and release what they tried so hard to contain. 

Papyrus tugged at the high collar at his neck and cleared his throat letting the tie hang loose under the collar now that it was undone. He looked harassed and annoyed, “Stars and Solaris, I don’t remember humans being this handsy before.”

Sans chuckled, “Well, you clean up pretty nice bro. Can’t blame them for having good taste, and if the look leaves a good taste in their mouths then all the better for us in the long run. You are representing monsters everywhere, bro. You gotta’ look your best.”

“This outfit is completely unsuitable for any kind of maneuverability. I feel like I’m going to break it if I turn too quickly.”

Undyne laughed as she stood up, “If it rips, it rips. I haven’t worn the thing in ages so I’m just glad it’s getting some use.”

“I’ll pick you up in a few hours, k bro?” Sans vanished before Papyrus could answer.

Undyne started walking to the door, “I’ll stand guard outside. Let you two...uh... appreciate life a little, fuhuhu.” Her bark of laughter fallowed her out the door as it clicked shut behind her and suddenly Frisk and Papyrus found themselves alone.

Frisk fidgeted, “You... you look nice.”

The orange blush that dusted the monster’s cheek bones seemed all the brighter for the blue suit he wore, “Thank you, human... um... you...” He put his hands on his hips and adopted a much sterner stance, “You should be resting right now.”

Frisk chuckled and tried not to roll her eyes.

Papyrus narrowed his eye sockets, “I’m serious, you need to lay down this instant, or I will climb up there and hold you down myself.”

Frisk had been about to tuck herself back into bed until he said that, at which point she proceeded to sit up straighter and smiled expectantly at him.

His eyebrow ridges raised and he did his utmost to hide the widening of his skeletal grin, “That’s how it’s going to be, is it?”

Frisk wiggled, “I could stand on the bed, maybe do some backflips.”

Papyrus tutted her as he pulled off his necktie and jacket, lying them over the back of the chair next to the bed, “My work is never done.”

It was then that the woman looked down at herself, realizing that she was in nothing but a pail green hospital gown, and suddenly felt terribly bedraggled, “You really don’t have to. I haven’t gotten a proper shower since I left your place and I’m just... kind of gross right now.”

The monster summarily ignored her and made a shooing motion saying, “Scooch over, human.”

The small brunet worried at her lip a moment before complying. Kicking off his shoes, Papyrus joined her, lying down and opening his arms for her. There was no hesitation now as she wrapped herself around him and he intern held her gently, resting a skeletal kiss on the top of her head.

Frisk pressed her face into his chest, enjoying the softness fabric gave him. The shirt itself smelled a bit like ramen and flowers, the way everything in Alphys and Undyne’s place usually ended up smelling, but underneath there was him. This strange combination of chalk and iron and rain had become so comforting to her that just the act of filling her senses with the scent calmed her and made her feel safe. She breathed deeply and gripped softly at his back, trying hard to ignore the impulse telling her to rip off his shirt, dispelling all illusions and foreign agents so she could bathe in more of that wonderful scent and trace the real him under her fingertips.

“I hear you’ve made quite a splash among the humans,” the brunet said, grabbing onto a thread of civility before she lost herself. “Finally getting that popularity you always wanted.”

Papyrus snorted, “I guess.”

“You don’t sound pleased.”

He shifted uneasily, “They’re calling me a hero.”

“Because you are one.” She chuckled softly, “I’ve never known you to be bashful of praise.”

Frisk could feel him grinding his teeth together in agitation.

“Papyrus?”

“You know, I was only there because Sans brought me. He’d gone looking for Alphys, said you needed a doctor that had some knowledge of souls. Mettaton, Undyne, and I were at her house and when he said that you were hurt we all insisted on going to try to help. We got there and it was just...” He closed his eyes stiffly as though he could shut out the memories from his thoughts, “There was so much fire, people screaming, blood and ash and...” His hand clenched at her back, “and you were just lying there on the ground with your soul so ... broken, even worse than before.” 

A puff of his breath warmed the crown of her head and she tried to calm him, slowly rubbing small circles into his back with the tips of her fingers. She was about to try to reassure him that she was alright now, but he continued before she could speak, “The others, they were amazing! They didn’t hesitate for a moment, they just started helping people.” 

His arms around her tightened, “But seeing you on the ground, your soul bleeding and crumbling away before my eyes... you were dying and there was nothing I could do.” He shook his head and took a deep trembling breath, “I couldn’t think I just... sat there on the ground with you, scared and useless. I could have- should have done something, but I-“

“Hey, it’s alright. You stood guard over my mom and me right? You watched over us.” Frisk shifted in his grip, the monster let her go, and she moved herself up so she could see his face, her eyes peering softly into the depths of the darkness that looked back at her. Frisk’s hand slipped up to cradle the side of his head, her thumb moving to wipe away the prickling of orange magic that had fallen from his eye socket. Papyrus turned his face into that hand, lacing his fingers over hers to press the soft warmth of her skin into his cheek.

“I was so scared, I think everyone was. It’s hard to think clearly when faced with that kind of trauma.” She smiled softly at him, “And you know, when that gunman started shooting at us, you protected everyone. If you hadn’t been there, that gunman might have hurt a lot more people, but you saved us. You stood between us and a madman and didn’t flinch. You are a hero.”

She felt the skeleton’s jaw move into a frown beneath her hand, his brow drawing down before he spoke, “I just lashed out with magic. I was so angry, I didn’t even stop to think about what I was doing. I brought a crazy person with a gun closer to you.”

“You disarmed him, and you talked to him.” Her smile warmed as she looked down at her friend, “You don’t know how proud of you I am that you were able to show so much kindness and mercy, especially when you were so scared and angry. You could have just dropped him from the top of a building, but you tried to make him see what he had done, how he had hurt people, tried to set him toward a better path. You amaze me Papyrus, you always have.”

His eye sockets closed and his head turned away from her as though he were trying to hide, “Some of the officers have spoken with me, to get my statement about what happened. They told me some things too. Did you know that the shooter tampered with the hydrants by the apartment? He wanted to make sure the place burned, he wanted to watch. He hated us so much that he wanted to watch us burn, and I gave him a front row seat.” He sniffled softly, his brow furrowing, “The officers said I shouldn’t have interfered and that scum like him would never change and didn’t deserve second chances. They think I’m stupid for letting the gunman live. I think the others feel the same. Asriel especially, he looks at me and it’s like he’s disappointed... but not surprised.”

“It’s never stupid to show kindness or to hope that people can do better,” Frisk tried to assure, though somewhere echoing distantly in her memories she heard a quiet cruel laughter that stole some of the strength from her words. 

“Undyne was right to never let me be in the real guard,” Papyrus said miserably. 

“What are you talking about? You were the first new royal guard on the surface-“

“You think I don’t know what a joke that was?” he looked back at her, his expression hard and sad. “What a joke **I** was?”

“Papyrus, no-“

“I just-“ he barreled forward cutting her off, “I thought, even if it was just a vanity position, I was sure I could show that I could really protect people if given half a chance. I trained hard to become strong and I knew that people would see how great I was if I just had the chance to show them.” He shook his head, eyes cast down and sightless, “But when things start happening, I just panic and even when I do manage to do something I’m either so useless that I end up having to be saved myself or I can’t do what needs to be done... I won’t. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” Orange magic fell from his eyes sockets again and Frisk quietly wiped it away, “Even knowing all of what that man did and wanted to do, I still hope that he’s not a lost cause. I still wouldn’t change what I did, but I know that choice means he’ll probably just do it again someday.” His teeth clacked together and he snorted wretchedly, “I’m a terrible guard.”

Frisk kissed his forehead before pressing her brow to his and said, “You listen to me you wonderful monster. You, Papyrus the Skeleton, are the gold standard.” She kissed the arch of his nose, “I love that you still have hope,” she kissed him beneath his eye socket, “I love that you work so hard to help people, whether they deserve it or not,” she kissed him just above the hinge in his jaw. “You are great and amazing and wonderful, more than people even know, because you are kind when it’s hard to be kind, because you don’t give up on anyone even when everyone else would have.” She leaned back hoping her eyes could convey even a fraction of how her heart ran over with pride and adoration for the man in her arms, “You are a fantastic guard because you look out for everyone, even the people trying to hurt you, you help and protect them all.”

A kind of sparkle and shine glinted out of Papyrus’s gaze as he looked at Frisk, her blue eyes holding him in a trance. He reached out to her and with a hand tangling in her warm dark hair, he pulled her to him, pressing his teeth to her lips in a skeletal kiss. As teeth parted and the kiss deepened, Frisk let her hand wander along the monster’s body, gripping at him pulling him closer and smiling into his kiss as his hand moved from her hair to mirror her motions. Their bodies moved against each other, legs entwining as fingers pulled and played over their torsos. When the travels of her hand finally reached his slacks, she shamelessly grabbed his ass enjoying the little startled noise he made, and even more enjoying the way his hips tipped forward into her and the warmth of magic already beginning to build there. Papyrus’s hand slid over her hip, moving to grip her in kind, but paused as something came to his attention. He broke the kiss, tilting his head to one side as his hand slid over her behind.

“Human, your... bottom is hanging out.”

Frisk snorted a laugh, “I thought I felt a draft. Yeah, I got one of the back tie hospital gowns. I really should have had Draggodin text someone to bring me some undergarments but it just slipped my mind I guess.”

“Hmmm,” the monster rumbled, his hand still wandering her bare skin, “I see.”

Papyrus reached back and grabbed his jacket, retrieving his cell phone from a hidden pocket in the inner lining.

“You don’t have to text someone about my underpants right now,” Frisk said, feeling a little disappointed.

“Hu?” Papyrus glanced up from his typing a moment. “Oh, yes, I know.”

From behind the door to the room Undyne’s guttural laugh boomed and a moment later Pap’s phone dinged as it received a message. 

“Ah, seems Undyne already figured we’d need a five minute warning before anyone was allowed entrance into your room. Still, it is a hospital so I would recommend stealth and speed,” Papyrus said putting his phone back. “Which is a shame but I suppose it cannot be helped.” 

Seven shades of red colored Frisk’s face, “Did you just tell Undyne to keep people out so we could have sex?”

Papyrus blinked, “Pretty much.” His expression turned apologetic, “Did you not want to?”

“I-I do, I’m just...” _embarrassed, mortified, ... really turned on_ , “not as practical minded as you.”

“Well, it’s a good thing I’m here to think of such things ahead of time.” Papyrus reached back to reclaim his grip on the woman’s bare skin and yanked her against him, “Now, where were we?”


	31. The 8th Deadly Sin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: sex! Poorly written sex at that. I’m out of practice ^^;
> 
> this chapter is totally skip-able ^^;

“You’re not very good at this, are you,” Papyrus rumbled, a laugh in his voice as Frisk desperately tried to swallow down a moan.

His fingers, sheathed in a warm layer of magic, slid around the folds of the woman who lay next to him, her propped up leg trembling at his work. In turn, Frisk was trying to concentrate on stroking the spiral shaft her lover had offered, but the movements of her hand were less than graceful in her unfocused state. He hadn’t bothered taking off his clothing in case he had to get dressed in a hurry, simply releasing the half hardened bit of magic from his trousers that, even despite her current clumsiness, was nearly at full mast now. 

“This is why I don’t like stuff like sixty-nine-ing,” the small brunet huffed in annoyance. “I can’t concentrate when I’m distract-“ 

Her voice was stolen as Papyrus softly strummed at her clitoris, her body rending control from her mind as her hips pressed into the sensation. She gasped and pushed her face into the man’s chest, desperately trying to muffle the sound of a particularly heated exclamation of lust. He only laughed harder.

“Sounds like you need practice then, nyeh-heh,” he mused as he went back to spreading her arousal around her labia.

“I thought we were trying to be quick and stealthy, what happened to that?” she grumbled as she pressed her thumb in circles around the tip of his erection.

His head tipped forward, eye sockets screwing shut as a huff of pleasure parted his teeth before he spoke, “Ah- y-yes, well...” He pressed a pair of fingers into her entrance and reveled in the way her body locked up at the sensation and the small strangled squeak of her breath being caught in her throat, “But I’m having so much fun like this.”

Frisk whimpered as she pressed her lips together in an effort to remain at least somewhat quiet as his digits stroked her insides like a poker kicking up sparks in a fire.

“P-Papyrus... nnnnh... it’s n-not fair,” she huffed struggling with the words. 

“You think so?” he murmured breathily. “Well then, what would make it fairer?”

A bolt of agency lent her some focus as she lifted her hips away from the distraction of his hand. He tried to make a grab for her, but the angle was wrong now that she was moving to push the monster into a fully laid down position. Papyrus huffed as she climbed atop him, sitting up to rub her slicked center along his length. His shaft twitched and tingled along her folds as she pressed herself against him, enjoying the warmth of his magic. She smiled down at him as his hips moved below her, further pressing their sexes together in a way that she could see was driving him mad.

“Oh yes, much better,” she mused wickedly. 

A heavy, rumbling growl shook the monster beneath her and suddenly he was grabbing her hips to lift her up just enough to align himself with her entrance. She had to brace a hand upon his chest to keep herself from falling onto him, fingers digging into cloth. Once it seemed she had regained some balance, her knees firmly braced at his sides, Papyrus pushed himself up into her, fucking her from below. Frisk pressed her face into her shoulder as the new fullness burned at her core, small plaintive whimpers pushing past her tightly clenched teeth.

“Look at me,” he whispered. “You’re so beautiful like this, I want to see you.”

She bit at her lips as she struggled to remain quiet, a smile turning up the corner of her mouth as her eyes found him and watched the heavy lidded lust that had fallen over his face as he rocked his hips into her. She wondered if she had a similar expression because, indeed, she found it to be quite beautiful. The hand upon his chest clenched at his needful gaze, nails drawing sharply over the magic beneath his shirt. The monster arched into the sensation, eyes flicking shut and a sharp inhalation of air punctuating his pleasure as his magic alighted through his ribcage. It was like someone had turned on a switch within him, making his breath shake and his body strain for more. As he looked back up at her, he could almost see the sparkle of delight in her eyes, like she’d just found a new world to explore. Both hands were on his chest now, pressing and clawing at him, the added sensation causing his hips to stutter as his concentration was fogged by the roiling magic within him.

Frisk reached a hand beneath his shirt to run her fingers along his spine loving the way it made him tremble. She wondered at the marvels of monster magic. Every monster had their own tricks and gifts, little differences in the way their magic manifested. This warmth and softness of magical flesh, and hard expanses of smooth bone, each with their own sensitivities and erogenous spots, it simply delighted her, and she made a mental note to experiment with it when she had more time.

“F-Frisk... I-I can’t... I-“ His body overloaded by her touch as he desperately tried to maintain some kind of rhythm to keep the momentum of his building heat, but his hips jerked erratically as his attention kept falling to the wonderful way her hands moved over his body.

“Let me help you,” she all but purred as she moved her grip at his spine lower and held him more firmly, thumbing at the side roughly. Shifting her legs she pushed her pelvis down over him, taking control of the rhythm from him. A heavy heated rumble shook the monster as his magic seared his bones, a delightful pressure steadily building within him. 

“You feel so good- so, so good- mmmh!” she gasped as his fingers dug into her hips, urging her down harder over him.

She curled her fingers before dragging her nails over his chest, again sending sparks like fire through his body. The hand on his spine tightened making him gasp and strain against her, wanting to push up into her but held still in her grip as her quiet panting and murmured words of praise filled his mind. 

His magic pulsed and with a ragged cry he came, rending a heavy moan from the woman above him as she felt him release within her, the sensation of his magic coating her filling her with delight. She pulled at him with her walls until he was spent. She couldn’t help but giggle fondly at the shudder that ran through his body at her continued abuse of it and she decided to let him rest a minute. As her body stilled she leaned down and drop a kiss upon his sweaty jaw, before nuzzling at him playfully.

With a growl, Papyrus grabbed her, wrapping an arm around her back to pull her close and, in a move that made the hospital bed creak and bounce ominously, he managed to flip them both, landing the woman on her back. Quickly, he took hold of her hands and pinned them at either side of her head, an intensity on his face that she rarely got the chance to see.

“I believe I told you that if you didn’t lie down, then I would hold you down, Ms. Dreemurr,” he said, his out of breath huff somehow not detracting from the wicked promises in his gaze.

She grinned happily, the curiosity of how a skeleton monster could be out of breath making her giggle in wonder as she began shifting her shoulders to get more comfortable, “Yes, you did say that, but I-“

There was a sharp bang at the door that made Frisk wince, “Nooooo!”

Papyrus sagged, a grumble of frustration escaping him as Undyne began to shout through the door.

“Frisk, no one told your dad what happened to you and he just found out. Sans says he’s got Asgore at the front desk of the hospital with Alphys, but they’re not going to be able to stall him for long.” 

The moment Frisk had heard her dad was on his way, her eyes had gone round in panic. She bat at Papyrus’s shoulder squeaking, “Up, get up! Shit, shit, shit, shit!!!”

Papyrus scrambled to get up off the bed, pulling a plaintive whimper from the woman as he separated from her.

“Sorry, s-“ he stumbled as he got to the floor, tripping backward and ended up thunking his back against the wall behind him hard. “Ow.”

“I’m too old to have to be worrying about my dad catching me with a guy in my room,” Frisk grumbled as she swung herself out of bed and marched to the bathroom to clean herself up a little.

Papyrus quickly dismissed his magic and attempted to straighten his clothing, tucking in his shirt haphazardly, the line of black buttons insisting on veering off to the right despite his efforts to center them. He opened a window, hoping to air out some of the sweat and musk smell of their activities.

“Hurry it up!” Undyne hissed through the door. “I can hear him coming.”

“Working on it!” Papyrus barked back at her as he grabbed his tie and attempted to put it back on.

“Hey,” Frisk said as she returned from the bathroom, the edges of her hair wet around her face from her attempts to freshen up. “You don’t have to up that back on, just let me...”

She grabbed his shirt, pulling it out a bit before tucking her hands into his pants. He gasped and grabbed at her shoulders as she carefully righted the fabric on either side of his hips to pull the line of buttons straight, and smiled at how sensitive he still seemed to be.

Letting her hands linger she looked up at him with half lidded eyes, pleased with the intensity of his gaze, “You owe me one later.”

He chuckled and nodded, “Nyeh-heh, later.”

Leaning down he nuzzled at her temple affectionately and she placed a kiss on his neck.

There was another sharp bang on the door and now Frisk could hear the heavy boom of her father’s voice as he stormed down the hall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m not sure why I ended up writing a sex scene like a battle, each of them trying to outdo the other. I guess Frisk sort of wins, but mostly she loses. 
> 
>  
> 
> Just in case some of you may not know (or in case this saying really is just something my strange group of friends tends to know because they have terrible timing), the 8th deadly sin is coitus interruptus... otherwise known as cock blocking :p


	32. Fragile Existence

“Frisk! Friiiiisk!” Asgore bellowed as he stormed down the lengthy hallway, the long purple robes of his ceremonial royal regalia flying and swinging wildly in his wake, “Where is my daughter?”

“M-m-majesty, you need to calm down,” Alphys said trialing behind him in a skipping, hurried, canter. “It’s n-not good to be yelling in a hospital.”

“Heh, yeah,” Sans said trailing behind the doctor, “you’ll end up waking the dead.”

“Hello, your majesty King Asgore, good to see you,” Undyne said in a talking voice just shy of a shout.

“Where is Frisk?!” the goat monster said looming over the guard.

“What? Oh, yes, Frisk... she... is...um...” Undyne was desperately trying to drag out every word.

The door behind her back opened and Papyrus calmly smiled up at the wild eyed monarch, “She’s resting in here, your majesty.”

Asgore swept into the room finding Frisk waving at him from her hospital bed with a strained grin on her face, “Hey dad.”

Choking on a sob, the mountain of fluff hurried to her, draping her in a powerful hug and crying over her, “Stars above, you’re alright.” He straightened himself, paws still on her shoulders as he examined her, “You are alright, aren’t you?”

“Yes, dad, I’m fine. The doctors just want to keep an eye on me for a while,” Frisk assured. 

He nodded, “Good, that’s a good idea.” He placed a paw on her forehead frowning, “You look flushed, are you sure you’re feeling alright?”

She took his paw in her hand and tried to smile reassuringly, “I’m okay, really. The doctors are taking good care of me.” She tugged playfully at the wide purple sleeve of his royal robes, “You look all fancy. Hope you’re not missing something important just to see me.”

“I was trapped in closed meets for hours. The reception must have been terrible in the meeting hall because it wasn’t until I left that I began to receive all of these messages about an explosion at your apartment, and a shooting, and then these reporters just seemed to appear out of nowhere and started asking me what the Monster Kingdome intended to do about the assassination attempts and I...” Huge wobbly tears fell down the king’s face before he again smothered her in a massive hiccupping hug, crying openly. “Stars above, I was so frightened for you.”

Frisk patted her father soothingly and tried to calm his ragged emotions.

Papyrus leaned against the wall by the door, grinning fondly at the familial display in front of him. There was a tap at his elbow and he looked down to see Alphys peering up at him through her thick glasses, concern creasing her features.

“P-Papyrus, since I’ve got you here, would you mind l-l-letting me check the cracks in your skull?” She shifted anxiously, “Earlier...a-a-at Frisk’s apartment, it looked to me l-like maybe they had gotten a little worse. I was worried you hit your h-head or s-something.“

Papyrus stepped into the hallway with Alphys and bent down, “Oh? No, I don’t remember hitting my head on anything. It was all so crazy though, I guess I might have. My brother has made sure that I keep up with the oil treatments you recommended.”

Yellow claws poked and prodded at his skull, the lizard monsters eyes squinting through her glasses as she examined the affected area.

“Is everything alright Al?” Sans asked, an edge of worry in his voice.

“Hmm,” she wrinkled her nose and took a step back, “W-well, it doesn’t seem nearly as bad as I thought it did before, but the c-cracks aren’t healing the way I’d l-like to see.” She held her chin thoughtfully, “It could j-just be stress related. M-monster healing like this is highly dependent on your emotional wellbeing so the high stress of the past day may have set you back a bit.” She folded her arms over her chest as she looked at the cracks on Papyrus’s skull, “My biggest concern is that you w-were physically attacked with hateful and lethal intent, which l-leaves marks on a monster’s essence that can manifest in p-p-permanent scars. I w-was hoping that because you weren’t the intended target, this sort of thing could be healed l-like regular damage, but that may not be the case.”

“So, what are you saying exactly, Doc?” Sans demanded.

“Oh, d-don’t worry, he’s still fine health wise right now.” Alphys turned her attention back to the monster kneeling next to her, “However, I feel I should warn you that some of the cracks may never be able to be fully healed. I’m sorry.”

“Is that all,” Papyrus said as he stood back up. “That’s fine. I think they look kind of dashing anyway.”

“Yeah!” Undyne said clapping him on the shoulder, “It looks totally cool. I’ve got lots of scars. It’s no big deal.”

“Undyne, you have lines on your body that filled back in a slightly different color, Papyrus will have holes in his head.” Alphys frowned at the fish monster, “Scaring in general is l-less of a deal for monsters like you and me, but m-monsters with very little m-matter to them to begin with, even small scars can fundamentally weaken them s-structurally, making them easier to damage again later on.” She sighed looking back at Papyrus, “I r-recommend that you continue doing the oil treatments at least for the rest of the month, but I’d l-like you to try eating some human food while you’re getting treated. The oils should help f-focus matter arrangement in your body the same way it focusses your natural healing magic-- the t-two are fundamentally connected. It’s a-actually quite fascin...a...ting...” Alphys trailed off as a shadow feel over them.

The small group looked up to see the Monster King looming over them, his paws spread wide. Before anyone could say anything, the king bent down and scooped the lot of them into an enormous hug. Undyne laughed, long ago having accepted the king’s penchant for hug attacks. Sans, on the other hand, looked like he wanted to bolt. 

“Fuhuhu, what’s this for, Majesty?” Undyne asked even as she hugged back, smiling down at Alphys who had been pressed against her belly in the sudden group snuggle.

“I am just so proud of all of you,” Asgore said as he released them and stood up. “Frisk was just telling me how brave all of you were and I cannot even begin to express my overwhelming gratitude and thanks for all that you have done.”

“Medals might be nice!” Frisk called from her bed. “Big stinking ceremonies where we can all gush about how great they all are would be good too!”

Asgore laughed, a big belly rolling rumble, his huge jaws wide in a smile, “Yes, absolutely! This indeed calls for a royal celebration so the entire kingdom can show their appreciation for your good deeds!”

Undyne tried not to frown, “That might not be the best idea, Majesty. With these recent attacks, I can’t say it would be wise to throw a big public party like that.”

“But I thought the perpetrator was captured,” the goat monster said with a frown.

Undyne gave a short nod, “The man who blew up Frisk’s apartment and shot at us was caught and we do know that he was a known and vocal part of the anti-monster movement. I’ve been talking with someone I know at the local police department and apparently the guy is happy to take all the credit for the attack. He’s claiming to be sounding a ‘call to arms for humans to take back the surface,’ or some garbage like that.” 

Papyrus’s brow furrowed, eyes downcast.

“You thinking he’s part of a larger group?” Sans asked, his voice quietly hard.

Undyne’s lips thinned as the anxious frown finally won ground on her face, “I’m not sure, but something’s been bothering me. I mean, if this was all about monster hate, why go after Frisk?”

“She has been the bridge between the Monster Kingdome and the rest of the world for years now,” Sans said matter-of-factly. “It makes a kind of sense.”

“I guess, but why not go after actual monsters, who are, if I can be real hear with you for a minute, a heck of a lot easier to kill? I mean, even with a guard, the king and queen would have been better targets. Why go after a former human ambassador who was recently publicly lambasted by the media?” Undyne shook her head, “It just doesn’t add up if you ask me.”

While the monsters talked in urgent but hushed tones in the hall, a nurse in a green uniform wheeled a cart into Frisk’s room, receiving only a cursory glance from Undyne before Alphys assured them she was part of the regular staff.

“Hi there!” Frisk said happily.

A thin smile briefly appeared on the woman’s face, as she pulled out a tray that was mounted to the wall and got out an unappetizing looking meal from her cart. Green jello, corn that seemed to be turning brown, a square of some kind of breaded meat that had a yellowish sauce poured over the top, and a cup of mixed fruit.

“Oh, I’m not really hungry right now,” Frisk said as she tried to wave the woman off.

The dark haired woman glared at her through thick, silver rimmed glasses, “The hospital provides nutritionally balanced meals to help with your recovery. It is advised by the hospital that you eat.” 

Frisk wondered if the woman was reciting from a script the hospital had given her. She tried to smile warmly at the world weary woman, “I’m not really recovering. I’m just here for observation.”

The woman picked up a clipboard that had been hung at the end of Frisk’s bed and appeared to examine it carefully.

“Human,” Papyrus said as he came back into her room while the others continued their conversation, “you really should eat something.” He eyed the meal the hospital had provided with no small amount of trepidation, “Perhaps, not that, but something.” His face brightened, “I know, I will cook you something that you won’t possibly be able to resist, a culinary creation that shines on high as the pinnacle of cookery everywhere.” He struck a heroic pose and Frisk couldn’t help but smile fondly at the man.

“Spaghetti would be nice,” she suggested.

“That’s what I meant,” Papyrus said folding his arms over his chest, “What else would I be talking about?”

Frisk chuckled and nodded, “Of course.”

“Sans!” Papyrus barked, and his brother dutifully shuffled into the room.

“What’s up, bro?”

“The human requires sustenance!” Papyrus announced loudly. 

“I’m not hungry,” Frisk assured, trying to look an apology at Sans, though not quite able to meet his eye sockets. She still wasn’t sure where she stood with him.

Sans chuckled, “How ‘bout this bro, why don’t we go shopping after your shift on guard with Frisky here and you can make her a welcome back feast when she comes back to the house.”

“Yes, I’d love to visit with you, if you’re alright with-“ Frisk began but Sans cut her off.

“Visit, noth’en, you’re staying with Pap and me for a bit kiddo.” He stuffed his hands in his hoodie pockets leaning back on his heels, “Your mom thinks it’s a good idea for you to stick around a monster who can pop you out of any sticky situation should the need arise and I agree.”

Papyrus was nearly vibrating with excitement, but Frisk frowned, “I’m not sure that’s a good idea. I’m sure I’ll be fine at Asriel’s or something.”

“Frisk, why wouldn’t this be considered anything but the best possible idea ever?” As Papyrus stepped closer to Frisk’s bed, the nurse still in the room took a hasty step back, face hidden behind the clipboard.

“Look’en pretty hard at that paper Ms. Nurse,” Sans said eyeing the woman who seemed to become more rigged with every passing moment. “Is everything alright?”

“Fine!” the woman nearly shouted, “I...um... that is... you... you’re... I’ve never met... um... I mean I saw the other three, but I figured you were just a couple of bald guys... but you’re not...” the woman stammered moving to put her cart between herself and the monsters.

“Bald guys?” Papyrus balked, “Have you never seen a skeleton before?”

“In a morgue! Skeletons aren’t supposed to talk and walk!” the woman insisted. “I bet this is what happens to humans who eat that monster food crap. This is the catch for that instant healing stuff I heard about. You get trapped in a rotting corps until someone puts you out of your misery.”

“What? Not that’s not-“ Papyrus stammered.

“Is everything alright in here?” Asgore asked his huge frame filling the doorway as he peered inside. 

The nurse’s eyes went wide and she visibly paled, panic filling her mind as the only exit to the room was blocked off.

“Dad, back up, give the nurse some space,” Frisk hastened waving the mountain of fur away. With an uncertain look, Asgore nodded and backed away. 

“Mam,” Frisk said, trying to catch the woman’s eyes, “I’ve got my meal, your job is done, so why don’t you just leave.”

Apparently the nurse didn’t have to be told twice because she dropped the clipboard on the floor, grabbed the cart like it was a battering ram, and bolted from the room.

“I thought this was supposed to be a monster friendly hospital,” Undyne said, a hand on her hip as she watched the nurse beat a hasty retreat.

Alphys sighed as she retrieved her cellphone from her lab coat pocket, “It is, but she’s n-new. For some reason it seems harder for some of the m-medical residence to deal with skeleton type monsters. Some uncanny va-valley thing I guess, probably because their only other experience with skeletons is when they’re studying dead humans.”

Alphys made a call and started making arrangements for the nurse to be reevaluated and recommended that she join a culture-shock counseling course that some of the other residence participated in.

“Oh dear,” Papyrus muttered looking out the open door, “I hope we didn’t scare her too badly.”

“Don’t worry about it bro,” Sans said, patting him on the back, “Some of these humans are just thin skinned. Heh, good thing we don’t have that problem.”

“Sans,” Papyrus grumbled frowning down at the stout skeleton.

“This is the kind of idiocy that keeps me up at night,” Frisk murmured, her blankets twisting in her grasp as her hands fisted. “Humans who see something that scares them, make up some ridiculous baseless excuse to justify their fear, and just-” an angry huff broke her speech, “they’re like animals with this fight or flight instinct, when nothing’s even a threat to them in the first place. It’s so stupid!”

Asgore chuckled as he came back into the room, “That sounds like something my son would say.”

“Asriel?” Frisk asked skeptically, watching her adopted father cross to the window on the far side of the room before sliding it shut.

Asgore sat down on the low sill and met Frisk’s cool blue eyes with a sad smile, “No, not Asriel.”

Frisk went very still, though the pace of her heart began to quicken.

“I will tell you what I told him,” the king continued as he steadily held her gaze. “Everyone can be foolish, but with patience and kindness, even the most stubborn fools can be made to see reason.” He leaned back folding his arms over his massive chest, “I don’t think he ever really took that truth to heart but I understand. It’s a lesson that even I have needed reminding of on occasion. Anger and fear make idiots of us all.” He scratched at his beard and looked thoughtful for a moment, “I believe the last time it was a little girl who had to remind me of the value of a little kindness in the face of my own ridiculous and foolish beliefs.” He smiled warmly, careful not to show the points of his teeth, “I think we’re going to need a lot of that kindness in the stage ahead of us so I don’t mind reminding you of this truth in these trying days.”

Frisk shook her head, “A little girl, hu?”

Asgore laughed and thumped his considerable belie, “Well, compared to me, everyone is little.”

“The king’s right, I think getting a refresher on that kindness and patience stuff would be a good idea,” Sans said with a tilt of his skull. “So, what do you say kid, why don’t you come back to the house? You can be my study buddy and besides, we’ve already got all your stuff there, so you might as well.”

Frisk carefully met his gaze, “You’re sure it’s okay with you?”

Sans nodded, “Yeah, kid, it’ll be fun.”

“Fine, but no more calling me kid.”

“Heh, whatever you say, baby goat.” 

“Oh my god, Sans, has that been a pun this entire time?” Papyrus groaned angrily.

Asgore was the first and loudest to laugh.


End file.
